Memories of Nobody
by sakurademonalchemist
Summary: Xion died...then she was brought back in the place of an infant that was killed. Empty for ten long years, she awakens again as Tania Potter, the girl who "lived". Except there is a dark secret festering in the world, and Hogwarts is in the middle of it. Can she and her 'pet' Shadow the Moogle find the truth before Darkness' pawn finds her? And what is the power she holds?
1. Awakening to a new Self

It was dark. It was silent. It was...empty.

But she had known that already. Had known what would happen when she died. And yet...

When she saw the light, it was only natural she went towards it. It reminded her of her friend. Of her friend, who was naturally inclined towards light magic.

The moment she touched the light, she heard something. Something strange, yet wonderful all the same. It was the squalling cry of a newborn infant.

She felt somewhat distant, yet at the same time protective of the infant girl. She seemed so happy, but then again she still had a heart.

Then the bad man came. He turned the strange wand at the baby, clearly intent on killing it. She didn't think about what might happen. She didn't care that she had been unable to affect _anything_ in her current state. All she cared about was protecting that innocent heart from being destroyed.

Xion, Number 14 in the Organization, threw herself in front of the infant in what might as well be the most futile attempt to spare it's life.

The moment the light touched her, something strange and shocking happened.

She found herself in the Station of Awakening once again, only this time the infant was there as well. Except it's "heart" had been completely destroyed by the evil spell that had killed the mother. It would be less than a heartless, less than a Nobody like her.

It would be completely erased.

Xion approached the infant, unsure of what to do. Just picking it's silent form up made her incredibly sad.

 _ **Do you want to save the child?**_

Xion nearly jumped. It was the same voice that spoke to her when she first took up the keyblade, though she never remembered it after. After all, what reason would a Nobody remember a place like this once it was released from that place where all Nobodies drifted?

 _ **Do you want to save the child?**_

Xion didn't care about what it might cost her.

"Yes. I want to save it."

 _ **If you save it, there is no going back. It's heart shall become your own, and you'll forever be tied to it's body.**_

Xion looked at the tiny form in her arms. If she was understanding the voice right, then by saving it the infant's heart would become her own, and she would end up taking the infant's place... essentially binding their existences into the same person. Fragments of a broken shell that should have disappeared.

"What will happen to the infant?"

 _ **It's heart and the heart of it's parents shall join Kingdom Hearts, and be reborn anew when it is time. It shall know peace.**_

Xion nodded to herself, tears falling silently down her face. It was obviously too late for the infant...the curse had shattered it's Heart and there was no way to bring the 'heart' back. It wouldn't even be a Nobody.

But if she did this then it still had a chance to be reborn, as all Hearts had a chance of rebirth inside Kingdom Hearts.

"I'll take the infant's place," said Xion. It felt wrong to let such an innocent life be completely destroyed just because of a single spell.

 _ **So be it. When you awaken once more, you shall remember. Only then will your powers return to you.**_

Xion felt something latch onto her, and felt like she was falling once more.

All she would remember of that moment was feeling like something had grown inside her chest. Something wonderful...and at the same time, sad.

She blacked out and was awoken to the shriek of a woman she barely knew, and not with any fondness.

Petunia Dursley, the woman's sister and a rather nasty person all around. Xion had only followed the mother... no, her 'mother' Lily, once, to that woman's house, and she had not been pleasant.

* * *

The girl was strange. Some might say she was quiet, if they were being polite, and empty if they were being blunt.

Titania (everyone just called her Tania for short) wasn't exactly the most talkative of children. In fact many teachers would openly claim that the girl wasn't entirely there.

Petunia managed to avoid any suspicion by telling the truth, that the girl had seen her mother killed in front of her and she _remembered_ the event.

Which was actually true. When questioned by concerned teachers, Tania gave a detailed account of a man coming into her room, saying something she didn't remember to her mother, and then a flash of light before her mother died.

To the police, it sounded as though her mother had been shot in front of her, and the trauma had imprinted itself rather thoroughly despite her young age. The fact she remembered the event in exacting detail said volumes of her intelligence and memory. However the doctors quickly realized that the girl had dissociated herself from the event, causing her to have what they called a "split personality".

Her name was Tania Marie Potter. She called herself Xion, but would answer to her 'given' name if she had to.

Petunia grit her teeth and bore the news in silence. She blamed those damn magic-wielding fools for dumping a damaged child on her family and demanding that she raise it. The girl was so empty that it was nearly impossible for her to treat her normally.

She didn't complain, she rarely spoke, and nothing seemed to kindle any interest whatsoever.

So Petunia did her best, and thankfully was able to give the girl something like a normal life. Primarily because she rarely, if ever, reacted to anything, so it was impossible for Vernon to take offense to her existence.

At this point she wasn't entirely sure that the girl even _had_ magic, or if the trauma had caused it to be suppressed.

For ten _long_ years, Petunia raised the girl as best she could. She bought her cheap, if pretty dresses that the girl wore without complaint. She taught her how to cook and clean, and many of the feminine things that she wished she could have taught her daughter, had Dudley not effectively rendered her barren when he came out. He had been a _big_ child even at birth, and he had wrecked her up good when he was born.

So far they were on the waiting list for a little girl, once an infant became available. She was also well aware that they were watching like hawks on how they treated Tania.

Finally, after ten long years, the dreaded letter came. Except it brought something she never thought she'd see on her niece's face.

Emotion. Genuine emotion...namely confusion.

Fortunately Petunia was able to hide the fact Titania had magic from Vernon. He never would have accepted it, and it was a miracle her empty nature hid the fact she even had it.

Emotions fueled magic, as Petunia was very well aware.

While Vernon took Dudley shopping for school things, Petunia took Tania out for hers. As far as Vernon knew, the girl had been accepted into an exclusive private school in Scotland.

At least Lily had told her where to find the most popular magical alley...even if she had to hold Tania's hand in order to get in.

* * *

Tania was as indifferent as ever...right up until she heard something odd while they were passing the pet shop.

" _Kupo!"_

She whipped her head around, startling Petunia greatly. Tania _never_ took an interest in _anything_.Well, except books and that was only to kill time. Her favorite treat was ice cream.

Seeing the odd animal with a red pom pom on it's head bound and tied inside a cage, Petunia noticed her niece was intent on it.

"You want to go inside?"

Tania looked at her and nodded.

"Alright, but you're taking care of anything we get, and that includes cleaning up after any shedding or messes it makes."

"...Yes, auntie."

Tania went straight for the odd creature bound in the cage. It didn't look dangerous. The owner noticed her interest and sighed.

"You'd be better off looking at the cats, little lady. That thing keeps getting into trouble and brought back because it messes with your potion kits," he warned her.

Tania looked at him, and something made him flinch.

"How much?"

"Three sickles. Four if you want the cage too," he said.

From the rough overview of the currency, Petunia knew that he meant the silver pieces. Tania reached into her bag and pulled out three. Once she had the odd animal out of the cage, she unbound it.

" _Thanks for letting me out of there, Kupo! It was getting really cramped, Kupo!"_

"Shadow. Your name is Shadow," said Tania.

The odd creature paused, before looking at her properly. He seemed to _know_ Tania, which was impossible.

" _...Fourteen?"_ he asked carefully.

To the complete bafflement of Petunia and the owner, Tania nodded.

"Tania...do you know what that thing is?" asked Petunia.

"He's a Moogle. They specialize in creating things like potions," said Tania.

"...No brewing potions in our house, got it?" she told the odd creature. The 'Moogle' or whatever it was nodded.

" _Yes, ma'am, kupo!"_

"As long as he's in our house, he's to act like a doll until you're alone."

"Yes, Auntie," said Tania, hugging her new 'pet'.

"Good. Now the last items you're supposed to have are robes, your potion kit, and a wand. We'll save the wand for last and ask around where to find one, because I don't like that dodging looking one on the main street."

Ollivander might be famous for wands, but Petunia's finely honed OCD made her skin crawl just looking through the window. It looked like he hadn't bothered to dust properly in _decades_ , and goodness knew what Tania might catch from the filth inside.

So she would look into alternatives.

Tania left Diagon with her aunt, this time armed with a strange robe that she would wear once she was on the train. However Shadow was already wearing an identical one, emblazoned with a symbol only Tania knew about.

Petunia didn't ask. If the odd creature brought her niece out of her self imposed shell, then she would tolerate it's existence in the house. At least it could speak English, which made it easier, even with that strange verbal tic.

* * *

Once safely inside her room, Shadow spoke up.

" _What happened to you, Kupo? You just disappeared one day and soon after Roxas went rogue, kupo,"_ asked Shadow, once again in the familiar garb of Organization 13. It wasn't a proper cloak of darkness, but he'd take it.

"I died. Then I was brought here by a strange light and someone asked if I would take the place of the infant that was killed. In exchange their Hearts would be restored and sent to Kingdom Hearts rather than be annihilated by that green spell," said Xion, sounding much more 'alive' than she had as Tania.

" _Sounds like they were hit with the Killing Curse, kupo. Nasty thing, kupo,"_ said Shadow, shaking his head sadly.

"I'm glad your here. At least now I won't be as alone as I thought," said Xion smiling.

" _I'm glad to see you as well, Kupo. I was going bonkers in that cage and having to deal with these wizards, kupo! They actually took offense that I'm better at 'potions' than they are, kupo, and refused to listen to me!"_ complained Shadow.

Every time some pure blood bought him as a pet for their child, his paws would itch to snag potions ingredients to use them properly. The pure bloods didn't like that, and they really didn't like the fact he was better at brewing than they were. Eventually he kept being returned because he was a 'lesser beast that did not know his place'.

Ironically, Xion was his _fourteenth_ owner.

At least he knew she wouldn't take offense to the fact he was better at potions.

Xion hugged the Moogle tightly. It was good to have a familiar face with her again.

Shadow hugged her back. He had been lonely too, and without his cloak he couldn't exactly _leave_ this world.

She was falling again, but that was okay because she recognized this particular one.

The Station of Awakening.

She knew the drill, having gone through it before even if she didn't remember it. She chose the staff and the sword, as she had never been very good at defense, but she was very good at magic.

When she woke up, she concentrated on her hand...and her old keyblade appeared.

Shadow blinked at it, but dismissed it because he had already known Xion was a keyblade user. He rolled over and went back to sleep. However to Xion it was a sign. It meant that she had started the first step towards gaining her own heart, and not a copy of Kairi...her Somebody. Xion dismissed her weapon and curled around Shadow.

For the first time since being "reborn" as Titania Ivy Potter, she almost felt like she was home.

* * *

 _ **Elsewhere in the void...**_

 _Silver figures that danced in darkness all raised their heads. They had sensed the birth of a new Keyblade Bearer._

 _They sensed everything. Every birth, every death, every new Heartless. But it didn't effect them._

 _However...this was different. This was an entity like them, but not like them._

 _This was the rebirth of a Greater Nobody._

 _The lesser Nobodies chattered to themselves in excitement. Perhaps this was the moment they had been waiting for. The return of someone who could give them purpose. Something that would give them a reason to_ exist _, and perhaps...hope. Hope that they could regain their hearts and become Somebodies again._

 _After all...the Greater Nobodies had slowly developed Hearts of their own, though they never recognized it._


	2. Train rides and sorting

**I am so sorry about the confusion last chapter! I honestly didn't catch the typo concerning her middle name. It's supposed to be Titania IVY Potter, not Marie. To be fair I had trouble coming up with her first name, so that's likely the cause. Sorry about that! And yes, I am aware Xion is _Replica_ , not a Nobody, but she identifies herself AS a Nobody first and prefers not to think about the truth considering resulted in her death.**

* * *

Tania was eager for her first trip to a magical school. Shadow was once again playing the part of a 'doll', at least until they got on the train. He didn't mind being carried around in a large bag.

Petunia looked the girl over. She was dressed in casual clothes, but she had warned her that she might have to change into what the school considered an acceptable 'uniform' soon enough. Which mainly meant switching her shirt and possibly putting on the 'robe' which still made her click her tongue in disapproval.

At least Tania had adjusted it to something close to 'modern' compared to what they had given her to work with. Adding a few additions after buying them using the skills Petunia had taught her (namely the use of a sewing machine) had made the woman pleased.

Even if all she did was add a thick silver thread around the collar to tighten it, a silver chain that kept the robe relatively closed around the opening near her neck, and a thick zipper that she had to have Petunia help her add that ran down the lining that could close it to keep her warm during winter.

Though because of her inexperience, the zipper was upside down and she hadn't realized her mistake until it was too late. Considering it just made her look like she was expressing herself, rather than appearing like she was wearing a very outdated uniform, Petunia had allowed it.

At least it didn't make her stand out for more than a second or two.

"Did you pack everything?"

"Yes, auntie. I made sure everything was properly organized before we left the house," said Tania, her voice a little less toneless than it was before.

"That doll of yours is definitely a good influence on you. Did you pack your cell?"

Tania reached into her bag to pull it out. Shadow had performed some Moogle magic on it so that it would still pick up a signal, even in the most saturated of magical areas. Apparently magic had a bad habit of overwhelming regular technology.

She suspected he had found some piece of a Gummi ship and used that to bolster her new phone.

"I'll be sure to take plenty of pictures, auntie," said Tania.

Petunia's normally sour expression softened. She had always wanted to see Hogwarts, but she had a fight with Lily and her sister never thought to take photographs to show her.

"Just be careful. Most of the time what these people say and what they actually mean are two very different things, and they've put you on a pedestal ever since that night."

Petunia had been horrified, and properly so, when she discovered an entire _section_ of books on her niece that weren't even properly labeled fiction. It was abundantly clear that they expected far more from Tania than they should reasonably expect, after they literally dumped her on Petunia's doorstep without so much as a by-your-leave.

And that left her infuriated.

How dare they. _How dare they_?

And to make matters worse, Petunia recently identified that nosy woman Arabella Figg as part of the conspiracy. She had always though that senile old woman suspicious.

No one owned that many cats and still managed to support them all without a husband or job without something else going on. Obviously she was a spy planted in her neighborhood, because she moved in a full month after Tania came to live with them.

Petunia was going to have the old woman thrown out of the neighborhood before Christmas, and have the cats removed. They were a serious nuisance and they yowled _every single night_.

"Where am I supposed to be boarding this train?"

"See that pillar between nine and ten? You walk _through_ it and get onto THEIR platform. Unfortunately it's keyed to magic, so I can't go with you."

"...Go through the pillar?"

"Apparently there's some enchantment that allows you to walk right through it. I never understood why they couldn't just use a normal train track, or why they insist on a steam engine," said Petunia.

Tania was about to move her trolley to the pillar Petunia indicated, but in an impulse move she hugged her surprised aunt.

"I'll see you on Christmas, Auntie," said Tania.

"Behave when you can. Make their lives a living nightmare if they hold the fact you were raised by _normal_ people," said Petunia ominously.

Anyone who held the fact she was "muggle-raised" and had a "muggleborn" mother against her didn't deserve to be friends with her niece. And the best defense against such people was to present a strong offense...that was how Lily managed.

"I will, auntie," said Tania, her eyes sparkling with the idea of mischief.

"Now go on. You don't want to miss the train," said Petunia.

Tania waved goodbye to her aunt...before she took a running start into the pillar and vanished.

" _That was strange, kupo!"_ said Shadow. Now that they weren't around 'normal folk' as Petunia tactfully put it, he didn't have to hide. He promptly floated to sit on Tania's shoulder.

"I agree completely. Now we should probably put up my trunk so we can have a chance to read," said Tania.

She had bought a few extra potions books, including one that the shopkeeper missed (there was a "restricted" stamp on the shelf she found it on) for Shadow. She knew he was much better at potions than she could ever be, but she wanted to at least learn the basics of healing...even if that had always been Roxas' specialty.

Once they were on the train, it took her a few moments before she was able to find a compartment meant for trunks. After seeing how high up the storage shelves were, and realizing there was no way she'd be able to reach them, much less haul the trunk up that high, she went looking for someplace else to put it.

She was, after all, already in her uniform and modified robe.

That done, she found an empty compartment (Petunia had brought her very early to insure she'd get one) and sat down. Thanks to the door being open, she heard how rude the older children were and took steps to prevent being thrown out simply because they were bigger than her.

She jammed the door track in a way that it would be left open, but not enough that an older student could get in. Half an hour before departure, and most of the older students had already gotten their own compartments, she removed the nail she used to jam the door and opened it properly.

More students passed, but most chose a different compartment after seeing Shadow. Those that recognized him scowled for some reason, or sneered at Tania for owning the 'beast'. Considering he was in her lap with a book, and she had a book of her own, they paid them no mind.

* * *

It took Tania a few moments to realize that there were two people in the compartment with her.

One was a rather pudgy boy awkwardly handling a toad, the other was a bushy girl with a book of her own.

"Um...hello?"

"I'm so sorry. We were so tired from trying to find a compartment that when you didn't respond we just invited ourselves in," said the bushy girl.

"That's okay. I tend to zone out while reading. My name is Tania, and this is Shadow."

" _Pleased to meet you, kupo!"_

"Ah! It's the white imp!" said the nervous boy with a toad.

"White...imp?" repeated Tania, looking at Shadow.

The boy nodded.

"There's this weird imp that when he's bought at a store will get into potions cabinets and cause mischief. They say it has a big red nose and a weird red ball that hangs off it's head. And it talks, saying 'kupo' all the time," said the boy nervously.

Shadow puffed up in annoyance.

" _Just because I can brew potions better than most pure bloods is no reason to call me an imp, kupo! They're the ones who keep yelling at me when I try to improve on their faulty potions, kupo!"_ said Shadow with a pout.

"Did you ask permission first?" asked Tania.

Shadow suddenly became embarrassed.

" _Well no, but they were always yelling at me anyway for doing things like sitting on chairs or trying to make my own food, kupo. So it was hard to tell the difference between yelling, kupo."_

"If you want to use my potions kits between classes, or improve on what we learned during the day, just ask. There's a reason I bought extras," said Tania.

"...I hate to be rude, but this has been bugging me since I saw him. Is he a...Moogle?" asked the girl carefully.

"How did you know?"

"My sister plays a lot of fantasy role playing games, and the _Final Fantasy_ series is her absolute favorite. Though recently she got into a new series called _Kingdom Hearts_ that came out last year, and they have animals that look like your...pet," said the girl. She squinted at Tania, and said "You look almost exactly like one of the characters from that game. I think her name was 'Kairi'."

Tania and Shadow shared a look.

"So...what are your names?"

"My name is Hermione," said the girl.

"N-N-Neville," said the nervous boy. He held up his toad. "This is Trevor."

"What book are you reading?" asked Hermione, curious.

" _'Household Basics for the Everyday Witch'_. I think Shadow was reading and advanced potions book though," said Tania.

"Really? Have you practiced many spells?" asked Hermione eagerly.

Tania shook her head.

"My uncle doesn't like magic at all, and my aunt barely tolerates it. She made it clear I wasn't to use magic to get out of doing chores because it's just a small step towards becoming a lazy person, which she hates. She barely tolerates how slothful her son is," said Tania. She looked at Shadow. "She also said Shadow wasn't allowed to brew anything in the house, but she would turn a blind eye if she didn't have to smell the fumes if he did it somewhere else."

"Oh. Where did you get your robe? I didn't see anything like that at Madame Malkins," said Hermione.

"I adjusted it myself. My aunt helped with the stitching, but I didn't like how bland it was so I added a few things. Though I did get the zipper upside down by accident."

"I was never good at feminine tasks myself. I can barely cook," admitted Hermione.

"I'm better at g-g-gardening, myself," said Neville.

"I love flowers. What sort of things do you like to grow?" asked Tania.

Neville seemed to cheer up, and his stutter disappeared the longer he talked about his greenhouse. It was clear he wasn't often allowed to talk about his hobby, and having someone who appreciated it for what it was made him a little more confident. Hermione likewise found a kindred spirit, as Tania read a lot of books and knew most of the ones Hermione mentioned.

It wasn't until after the trolley came and went (Tania only got a few things, as Petunia had packed a decently sized lunch) that Neville realized that his toad was missing.

Fortunately there was a spell in the book she had been reading that she could try out.

Tania went outside the compartment, took out her new wand (she hadn't really been paying attention to what it was made of, outside of finding out that there was a shattered piece of a keyblade as it's core) and did a few practice waves before she enunciated the spell.

" _Accio Trevor the toad_ ," she said clearly.

Shadow had been around the magicals long enough to know that enunciating was very crucial if you want to get the spell right. Some people try a dozen times and never get a spell to work if they didn't learn to enunciate the syllables correctly. It was a common mistake with children and lazier wizards.

The escaped toad flew into her waiting (and gloved) hand.

"Who cast that? There's no spells before school!" shouted an irate and rather pompous looking red head. He had red and gold on his collar, and a rather posh looking badge.

Tania stared at him as he stomped up much like an angry dragon.

"Who gave you permission to use spells? There's no casting before classes start! Well?"

"There wasn't anything in the rulebook I bought that said we weren't allowed to cast small charms on the train. I was just getting my friend's toad back," said Tania, shrinking in on herself.

Hermione watched with anger as the red head in red and gold gave Tania the riot act, before stomping off because she was a first year and he couldn't give her detention before she was even sorted.

"That was absolutely horrible! What house was he from?" said Hermione furious. She had bought the same rule book and nowhere did it say that they couldn't cast charms on the train. It clearly stated that the train was considered "school grounds" and that any punishments made on it would count once the school year started.

By that reasoning, casting small charms wasn't against the rules at all, since there weren't any mundane people on board!

"I t-t-think that was a Gryffindor Prefect," said Neville, shrinking in on himself. Tania had only helped him get his pet back. It wasn't right that a prefect would take out a minor use of magic on her for it.

He had always heard that Gryffindors were the _good_ wizards. Slytherins were supposed to be the mean ones.

"Well I know two houses I'm not going to join," said Hermione upset.

"What's the other?" asked Tania.

"The silver and green one, they were extremely rude to us when we tried to find a compartment earlier. I think they're called Slytherins."

"What does that leave?"

"Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. I've heard rumors that Ravenclaw has a private library though," offered Neville.

Hermione perked up, but Tania looked pensive.

"Hufflepuff is the house of loyal and hardworking, right?"

"And Ravenclaw is for the clever and studious," said Hermione.

"I'd much rather be loyal or clever than brash or ambitious," said Tania.

They nodded in agreement.

" _Slytherins get a bad rep, though most of them take it too far. I've had a few 'owners' who were Slytherin that treated their house elves like slaves, kupo."_

"What are house elves?" asked Hermione.

" _House elves are brownie spirits that serve magical families in exchange for a small portion of their magic, kupo. When non-magical blood started to cut away the forests, their magic started to die so they made a deal with wizards, kupo. In exchange for acting as housekeepers, they were able to survive. Being given clothes is considered a high offense, but some wizards have forgotten their origin and treat them like dirt. They forget that the fair folk are more often stronger and tied to the land, kupo,"_ said Shadow.

Neville blinked. He didn't know that.

"That sounds horrible," said Hermione.

"Actually it doesn't sound too far fetched. I mean there are countless stories of people leaving out saucers of fresh cream or milk, and having their house cleaned or their minor chores done in the middle of the night. Wasn't there a story about a man who left food out and little elves made shoes for him while he slept?" said Tania.

Hermione blinked.

"I think I've heard of that one," she admitted. When she put it like that...it was hard to be too offended.

The three continued their discussion on what house they would end up in, before they realized that they were getting closer to the school. Neville left to get dressed, seeing as how Tania was technically already in her uniform and Hermione was a girl.

* * *

Tania waited patiently with the other students, but she avoided the red head on principle. He looked too much like the boy from earlier to be a coincidence, and the blond was very rude when he saw Hermione and Neville. She didn't really pay any mind to the ghosts, and while the enchantment on the sky was very interesting, it couldn't really compare to her memories of sitting on the station tower looking out at the sunset and eating sea-salt ice cream with her friends.

She almost missed her name being called, but alerted to the fact they were going alphabetically she caught it in time.

"Potter, Titania!"

Tania walked up to the stool, and waited patiently for the teacher to put the dirty hat on her head.

She was so going to wash her hair after this.

 _ **Well that's quite rude.**_

 _Considering the amount of hair gel that last kid had...?_

 _ **...I'll concede that point. Now, where to put you, young Key Blade bearer?**_

 _Not Slytherin or Gryffindor,_ Tania stated flatly.

 _ **Yes... you're brave, but not brash, and you wouldn't fit Slytherin at all. Now, which house would you prefer? The one near the library or the one closer to the kitchens?**_

 _I have no idea._

 _ **Well, let's try another way.**_

Flashes of her memories went through her head, until the hat suddenly shouted _"HUFFLEPUFF!"_

Tania sat next to Neville, who had also been sorted into Hufflepuff.


	3. Lines drawn in the sand

Tania felt uncomfortable with the staring. She hated the fact everyone insisted on calling her Titania, or "the girl who lived". They didn't even know the full story, just the rumors that spiraled out of control and ended up being printed.

She hated that name. There was a reason why Petunia said her name was "Tania" and not something as ostentatious as "Titania", which happened to be the name of the Faerie Queen in Shakespeare's play _A Midsummer Night's Dream._

They acted like they knew everything about her, when they didn't even bother to get to know her at all. It was ridiculous!

Neville, once he got over his shock that he had been talking with Titania _Potter_ , was one of the few who bothered to call her just "Tania".

Hermione, however, had a bit of hero worship going on.

At least until she realized how uncomfortable it made Tania. Tania hated being the center of attention, and she hated it even more when people bugged her about some scar.

She never had a scar, at least none she remembered. If there was one, it was likely Petunia had it removed years ago, or it healed over.

The worst were the Gryffindors and the Slytherins. The Gryffindors (one in particular) hated her, saying she had "let them down" because she wasn't brash like them.

She really didn't like Ron, and she felt like his older brothers were worse.

Percy, the one who yelled at her on the train for summoning Neville's toad, was a pompous and arrogant boy who was always telling people off. He took his position to mean that he had to regulate everyone who was younger than he was, even if they weren't doing anything against the rules.

Fred and George, the twins, were almost bullies with how they picked on the Slytherins. Everyone pretended to laugh, but she could see they only did it to avoid being targets. And no one enjoyed the howlers that always came the morning after from their mother, who had the voice of a banshee, in her opinion.

Ron was her biggest headache though. He took it personally that she was sorted into Hufflepuff, and was very lazy. More than that was the way he watched her...it was disturbing and she didn't like it.

Her second biggest headache was Draco Malfoy. He was a real jerk, and he seemed to think it 'amusing' she had bought the "White Imp" and was always going on about his father like it meant something.

In short, Xion _hated_ Hogwarts, specifically the students.

She couldn't wait until Christmas.

* * *

Tania found a new reason to hate this school. Without fail, every time she left one of her 'modified' robes in the hamper to be cleaned, it would disappear and never return. She only had three left, and no matter what she did the house elves told her that the Deputy Headmistress had told them to confiscate them.

Something about how it was 'against school dress code'.

Finally, after an attempt to retrieve her clothes which failed miserably, she took preemptive measures.

She told the house elves they were relieved of duty when it came to her room and bathroom. She knew perfectly well how to wash clothes, even if it awkward to do so without a washing machine.

"Tania? Why are your robes wet?" asked Neville.

Tania's eye twitched.

"Because I told the house elves they no longer had to clean my clothes."

"Why?" asked Susan, baffled.

"They've been stealing my robes and refuse to return them even when I ask politely. It's gotten so bad that I barely have any left, and I refuse to lose anymore. So I've been practicing my household charms," said Tania. She looked at her wet robe with dismay. "It's a work in progress."

"What do you mean, the house elves have been stealing your clothes?! Being given clothes by a master is the ultimate insult to them!" said Hannah, shocked.

"You know how I made a few _minor_ alterations that didn't come with the robe? The silver tassels and the zippers?" said Tania. Everyone nodded. "Well apparently Professor McGonagall didn't like them for some reason, so she told the house elves not to return my clothes. I tried to ask her for them back, but she said they were against school regulations even though they cover everything they're supposed to cover and are still the standard black."

"That's not right! They were a few harmless decorations! I mean they are Slytherin colors, but that's no reason to confiscate your robes!" said Susan shocked.

Aside from giving her a brief second look, none of the prefects told her to remove the robes. They were still the required black, and they weren't revealing. Yes the muggle zipper was a bit odd, but it was perfectly harmless.

She had even asked Professor Sprout, who was the head of Hufflepuff if they were alright, and she had given the okay. Though she had mostly gone to see her to make sure it was fine for her to keep Shadow in her room.

Considering he was clearly a magical pet, and she lived in a Muggle neighborhood, Sprout had agreed only if he didn't cause trouble.

"That's not right, taking your clothes like that," said Hannah. She looked at Susan, who nodded. They grabbed Tania's hand and dragged her to find Professor Sprout.

 _In the greenhouses..._

Sprout looked up to see two of her Hufflepuffs leading a third. It was Tania Potter.

"What seems to be the problem girls?"

She noted that Tania's clothes seemed drenched, yet the other girls were dry.

"Did Peeves hit Ms. Potter with one of his water pranks?"

Susan Bones shook her head.

"Tania said she's had clothes going missing, and that Professor McGonagall ordered all her modified robes to be confiscated by the house elves. She said they were against school regulations."

The house elves couldn't break into her trunk, but they could steal them when she left them out to be cleaned.

Sprout's eyes narrowed.

"The ones she added those muggle 'zippers' to?" asked Sprout to clarify. Tania nodded. "Have you talked to Minerva about this?"

"She said I wasn't going to get them back, because they went against the school dress code even though I checked with you first before I wore them to class. It's gotten so bad I told the elves not to bother picking up my laundry and I've been practicing the house hold charms I found... unfortunately I'm not very good at drying."

Any thought of this being a minor misunderstanding went out the window at that. Forcing a mere first year to learn household charms just to avoid losing their clothes was ridiculous.

"I'll have a word with Minerva about this. Rest assured I will get to the bottom of why she's having the elves take the robes without notifying me of the issue," promised Sprout.

A few hours later, most of the school was treated to the sight of Professor Sprout having a very _loud_ row with Professor McGonagall about her confiscation of the robes through the house elves. It wasn't the fact that Tania had felt forced to resort to cleaning them herself with charms that had the Hufflepuffs close ranks against the Gryffindors...it was the fact that McGonagall interfered with a minor issue that Tania had already cleared with her head of house prior to classes starting.

Tania was a Hufflepuff, not a Gryffindor. If she had an issue with the modifications she should have pulled her aside and said so, and at least listened to Tania's side of the story.

Needless to say Snape was rather amused by the whole turn of events, even if it was because of "the Potter brat". Seeing McGonagall get chewed out by the normally jovial and warm Sprout was something he definitely enjoyed.

In the end Sprout had to pull rank on McGonagall to get the robes returned...the ones that weren't lost anyway. As Tania's head of house, she was able to clear up the matter...though Tania kept practicing her cleaning charms until she was able to do her laundry without the elves.

She never _did_ find out what exactly McGonagall had against her modifications.

* * *

"So we're supposed to fly using sticks?" said Tania, looking at the brooms with open distaste.

"..."

"They're brooms! Of course we're supposed to fly with them!" said Susan.

After the incident with her robes, Tania had become close to the duo of Abbot and Bones. Though they didn't quite take to Hermione as quickly, but having Tania there to buffer the girl made it easier.

Tania poked her 'broom' with her boot.

"It's just... I can see the cracks on this thing from here, and the bristles at the end look one good fireball away from becoming charcoal. I don't think these things are very safe to fly with."

"Oh hush Tanny," said Hannah. Where she came up with that silly nickname, Tania would never know. "They've been used for years and haven't broken yet."

"My aunt replaces her brooms every _six_ years, and these look like they should have been replaced decades ago," said Tania flatly. Then she noticed Neville was more nervous than normal. She put a hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay to be afraid of heights. Some people aren't meant to fly," she said gently.

Neville looked at her, and nodded. He trusted Tania, because she didn't tease him like some of the other kids their age. She had Shadow calmly explain the differences in potions and how to prevent blowing them up. It was only because of the odd creature he was even passing that class.

Though apparently his annoyance upon hearing how this "Snape" character taught the class was getting to him. He said he might end up sneaking into class to see how bad it was, because from the sound of it Snape didn't bother to even teach reaction tables.

Which, according to Shadow, was just asking for trouble.

Right now though, Tania just wanted to get this particular lesson over with.

The more she learned of the magical world, the more she couldn't wait for the seven years to be over with so she could leave. If only she still had her coat! Then she could leave this world and go someplace a little more sane and less irritating.

Like Castle Oblivion. Or the Castle That Never Was.

Tania felt nothing but irritation as she sat on the broom. It felt ridiculous, but then again she had flown in Neverland without the aid of a stick. Then it hit her how she could help Neville and Hermione, who were on either side of her.

"Hermione, have you ever read Peter Pan?"

"You mean the boy who could fly using pixie dust?" asked Hermione. Tania nodded.

"Remember _how_ he was able to fly?"

"He needed belief," said Hermione.

"Well pretend you've been hit with Tinkerbell's dust and believe that you can fly. Don't overthink about it."

Hermione seemed to take that advice to heart. Her hands were a little more sure on her broom. Neville seemed to consider her suggestion, and tried to not think about the flying.

Tania was one of the few 'naturals', but her distaste in using brooms was clear. Still, she was given the option of joining the reserve team for Hufflepuff. She wouldn't be allowed to own a broom, but she would be allowed to fly one with supervision during team practice.

It was more than the other first years were allowed, and it made some of them insanely jealous.

In the case of Ron, he started to target her more than normal.

In the case of Draco, who had been told flat out that he wasn't allowed to join the team (even as a reserve) until next year when an opening would be available, it drove him to challenge Tania to a wizard's duel.

Unfortunately for Draco, Susan happened to be right around the corner when he made his declaration. And she told Sprout.

* * *

Tania...no, this was Xion, lay in bed looking up at her canopy.

It had been two months, and she would honestly rather being back in Little Whinging.

At least there she didn't feel like a lab rat that people were trying to force into a mold.

" _It's a shame you can't have one of the Dusks to bring you one of your spares, kupo."_

"I don't know if they'll even listen to me anymore," said Xion.

Shadow sat up and said _"Have you tried calling them, kupo?"_

Xion blinked. To be fair she hadn't even thought of trying.

Perhaps she _was_ becoming lazy.

She closed her eyes, focused her magic...and called.

Imagine her shock when she opened her eyes again and saw the familiar sight of the Dusks, chattering away like they always did.

"You... you came?" she said in quiet shock.

The Dusks tilted what passed for their heads, before giving her what she could only assume was a Look that said _"You called us, didn't you?"_

Xion smiled. Even after she grew a Heart, she was still a Nobody like them.

"Could you retrieve one of my spare coats from the castle? I'd like to see the rest of you properly and these just don't have the same enhancements," she asked.

The Dusks disappeared, and fifteen minutes later came back slightly charred...but carrying a familiar coat.

It could almost pass for one of her robes, but there was a distinct feel that Xion recognized.

Once she swapped out her robe for the coat, she felt _normal_ again.

"So what happened to you?" asked Xion.

The chattered to her, and to anyone else it would have sounded like nonsense but to her it made perfect sense.

" _Maleficent_ took our castle?!"

Xion fumed. She had half a mind to go back to the Castle and give that stupid dragon a piece of her mind. Then an idea formed.

She could wait until Christmas, then head back to the Castle and offer the evil witch an agreement. Odds were Maleficent didn't even _use_ most of the castle, and the section that she was planning to use was mostly bedrooms that faced the 'moon' which was actually Kingdom Hearts. The bulk of the castle wasn't even part of the apartments, as they were connected by a hallway.

If she remembered Maleficent right, she likely didn't even _bother_ with that section and kept to the main castle.

If she was lucky, the witch might be willing to tolerate a few tenants provided they agreed never to see each other. Or to acknowledge that the other part of the castle existed.

For now, she was just glad to have her _own_ clothes back.

Xion went with the Dusks to see the other 'lesser' Nobodies, who were somewhat happy to see her again. At least it meant they had something to do other than float around and hope a Greater Nobody was formed.

At least now she could get away from the castle full of idiots and actually enjoy something she had missed for so long. Which was why the second thing she did after getting her coat back...was to buy some sea-salt ice cream and bring it back with her. She was sure Shadow would enjoy some as well.


	4. Potions partners and Bludgers

**Today's my birthday! If I get more than 28 reviews on this chapter, I'll update a second time as a present to you all! Happy 28th to me! XD**

* * *

Tania was very confused when the headmaster made the announcement that they were given a day off from classes for a full inspection of the castle.

Then it hit her as to the reason.

The wards around the school had sensed her summon the Dusks, and had alerted the headmaster. She didn't think he knew what they were (even Hermione thought Heartless were nothing more than monsters from a game), but he knew enough to be wary of having them near the castle.

So she sent Shadow to listen in to the teachers as to what they thought the Dusks were.

Shadow came back rather shaken.

" _They think Dusks are Dementors, kupo!"_

"Dementors?"

" _Dementors are foul beasts that are like the lesser Nobodies or Heartless, except when they 'kill' you, you don't become another Heartless or Nobody. Instead they destroy both Heart and Soul, leaving only the body behind. There's no way to recover without the soul,"_ said Shadow.

Xion was horrified, and rightly so. She had always thought of Heartless as monsters...but these dementors sounded much, much worse.

" _And if that wasn't enough, these English use the Dementors as_ guards _for their magical prison. Prisoners are tormented day and night by their worst memories as dementors naturally try to suck out their souls, starting with the good memories first, kupo."_

"That's absolutely horrible!" said Tania, disgusted at the very idea of subjecting _anyone_ to that.

Shadow was so shaken that Tania held him the entire day. He couldn't even _float_ like he normally did. Still, she had learned something important.

They had only detected the Dusks. They didn't know she could leave the castle and go to other worlds whenever she wanted.

* * *

Tania was almost...eager...for potions today. The reason was simple.

She had snuck Shadow into her class. He had been bored out of his mind for weeks, and his patience was at it's utmost limit.

He couldn't exactly experiment with some of the potions in the book he was almost obsessed with, he had been unable to brew anything in Tania's room because it was so cramped and the fumes nearly overwhelmed him (something about the cauldron made it hard to disperse the smell in a small space), and he had read through all the potion book she had bought him.

So yes, he was getting very stir crazy.

Neville spared a glance at her bag, before he saw something red and his eyes widened.

"Are you insane?" he hissed at her.

"The worst he can do is give me detention, and Shadow has been itching to have a good argument with a potion master for _years_ now. At the very least we'll get a good show."

A good show was one way to put it. Snape was almost guaranteed to _explode_ once he found out Tania had brought her pet with her!

It didn't take long. The second Snape saw the red pom pom and the even bigger red nose, _he_ saw red.

The entire class waited with baited breath as Shadow started asking questions a mile a minute about potions. Things only those that bothered to stick around for their N.E.W.T.s would ask, let alone know.

It was hard to say which was more shocking. The fact Snape was actually _answering_ him, or the fact that he hadn't deducted any points yet.

Seeing the children not at work, he barked at them before continuing his argument Shadow. Tania hid a grin.

"Potter! Stay after class!" barked Snape.

 _An hour later..._

Snape glared at Tania, who fought to keep from shrinking into herself.

"Am I to understand the white imp is your pet, Potter?"

"He's a Moogle, sir. He's more experienced with potions than I am and he's been going stir crazy without a chance to experiment properly," said Tania.

Snape's glare lowered a fraction. Then he looked at the cloaked imp...moogle.

"Moogle! Am I to understand you know the basics of brewing potions?"

" _Basics? Give me some credit, kupo! I kept getting returned for trying to_ improve _on your potions, kupo! Those idiots were always so touchy about me experimenting with their potions cabinets,"_ said Shadow offended.

Something seemed to pass between Snape and Shadow.

"His name is Shadow, sir," said Tania helpfully.

"Very well. Shadow, if you can prove you know what you're doing you may join me after classes and during my own experiments. If not, then you'll have to sit with the other students at the same level you're at. Deal?"

" _You got it, kupo! I've been going crazy without a chance to tweak what you call potions, kupo!"_

"And Potter? If you try anything like this again I'll string you by your lower intestines from the Astronomy tower. Are we clear?" said Snape.

"Yes sir," said Tania.

After she exited the room, she found herself surrounded by Susan and the others.

"Well?"

"Shadow's allowed to stay, but he has to prove he knows what he's doing or else he'll have to join a class that's at the same level he is. Oh, and Professor Snape threatened to hang me by my lower intestines if I did something like this again."

Everyone stared.

"How did you get away without a detention? He was shouting the entire class!" said Hannah in awe.

"I think he was happy to have someone who was willing to not only brew potions, but actually _wants_ to tweak them and make them better," said Tania. "It's pretty obvious he hates having to teach lazy children how to brew potions, only to see them mangle them time and time again, and it doesn't help that people have an unfair bias against Slytherins for no apparent reason."

"But most Slytherins are mean!" said Neville as they walked as far away from the dungeon as possible.

"Yes, but from what I seen almost everyone automatically assumed Slytherins are up to no good, and treat them accordingly. _Especially_ the Gryffindors, particularly the Weasley family. Just because they were sorted into the house of the cunning and ambitious doesn't make them automatically evil. What if they want to become healers that treat children? What if they want to make chocolate or develop a shield that protects aurors? Yet everyone just thinks that all Slytherins are bullies, but what if they became that way because of how people treated them?" said Tania flatly.

Susan, Hannah and Neville blinked. They hadn't thought about it like that.

"It's just...most of You-Know-Who's followers were from Slytherin. Especially the inner circle."

"Can you prove that? What if he had some Gryffindor or Hufflepuff followers? I find the idea of treating someone differently because of the house they were sorted is just ridiculous and silly," said Tania.

"Well said, Ms. Potter! Ten points to Hufflepuff!" said Professor Flitwick who heard the entire thing. "It's hard to promote inter-house unity when the students treat each other differently based on their house."

"I agree," said Professor Sprout. "And since we are the house of loyalty and hard work, I propose a challenge. The house that can show the most school unity and make friends with different houses and years will be given fifty points. Second place will get forty and third will get twenty."

"Seriously? Fifty points just for being _nice_?" said Ron Weasley, food half eaten clearly visible. Anyone with any sense of table manners or proper etiquette moved just a bit away from him.

Tania among them, as she recoiled in disgust. He didn't have the worst manners. It was blatantly obvious he completely lacked any, save for the knowledge that it was easier to eat with a fork, knife and spoon.

* * *

Tania hid a grin when the next week she saw the most amusing sight of Snape and Shadow arguing over breakfast about a potion. Shadow had been bored out of his mind, but it seemed like he was back to his old self. Sure he spent most of his time while she was in class playing with potions or reading some of Snape's books or notes, but at night he would curl up to her because she was something familiar. Well that and she slept better using him as a teddy bear.

But the icing on the cake was eight days after she brought Shadow with her to potions, he handed her something familiar.

"How did you make an elixir?"

" _They had most of the ingredients, kupo. Only had to tweak or substitute the missing ones, kupo. Should have seen Severus' face when I showed him_ our _potions, kupo."_

Tania stared.

"Professor Snape lets you call him by his first name?"

" _He was really in need of someone to argue with that wasn't a_ 'complete dunderhead' _and actually knew what they were doing, kupo. They fact I knew a few tricks he didn't only made it better, kupo."_

"Well I'm glad to know that at least I won't have to worry about where to get real potions," said Tania.

" _You supply the ingredients, and I'll make them whenever you need, kupo!"_

Somehow she had the feeling her vaults were going to get a very hefty work-out during the summer...

* * *

"So why are we going to the stadium when we have homework?"

"Quidditch!" said Susan, as if she was talking to a child.

"Today's the first match of the season. Gryffindor against Slytherin," said Hannah, equally eager.

"Who are you cheering?" asked Tania.

"Gryffindor of course," said Susan and Hannah.

"...Would you be offended if I sat next to Daphne and Tracy? I'm not exactly a big fan of Gryffindor," asked Tania.

Susan blinked, before she remembered how much Ron harassed her and how Percy also seemed to find new ways to try and deduct points because she wasn't wearing the 'traditional' robe like everyone else. And that wasn't getting into how many times she was caught up in one of the twin's pranks.

It had only gotten worse when Tania chose to sit with some of the other Slytherin first years rather than go near the Gryffindor ones...or the fact she had hexed Ron one day after she caught him insulting Hermione to the point of tears.

In short, most her hostility for Gryffindor steamed from two separate sources.

Professor McGonagall, who still had it out for Tania because she wore altered robes and wasn't sorted into Gryffindor like everyone expected, and the Weasleys, who all had their own strange grudge against her for reasons she couldn't begin to understand.

It was like they took it personally that she wasn't a Gryffindor, and openly associated with the Slytherin house rather than buddy up to them. And she couldn't figure out why.

"Have fun and try not to get eaten," joked Hannah.

Tania nodded, and made her way to the Slytherin side of the stands.

"Hey Tani! We saved you a seat!" shouted Tracy.

"We also saved one for Shadow," said Blaize.

Upon finding out that the odd "White Imp" that was often arguing about potions and calling their head of house by his first name belonged to her, the Slytherin house had sent discreet 'envoys' to see if they could form a truce with the Girl Who Lived.

As a result, she was now welcomed to sit with Daphne, Blaize, and Tracy. Once they found out she didn't particularly _like_ Gryffindor and was indifferent at best towards Slytherin, they had become more or less civil to her and anyone she considered a friend.

It didn't hurt that Hermione was openly interested about learning pure blood customs, if only to shut Malfoy up about them.

Tania sat between Daphne and Tracy, while Shadow sat on her lap. They cheered loudly for Slytherin, and even though they were openly cheating, Tania could care less. It was fun to watch.

So it was only natural it took her a few seconds to realize something was wrong with one of the bludgers.

Daphne yelped when she realized, no, that bludger wasn't going to avert itself from the stand.

Several students dove out of the way and Tania nearly got hit twice.

Finally she had enough when it nearly hit Shadow. She drew her wand, and pointed it straight up to where the bludger was about to make another attack at the stands, which were barely staying up.

" **FIRA!"**

A massive fire that vastly overwhelmed any simple fire charm erupted from her wand, yet it didn't heat up in her hand. The bludger didn't stand a chance.

It melted and evaporated before it even touched a very incensed Tania.

All the Slytherins nearby stared at her with disbelief and no little trepidation.

Finally, Blaize spoke.

"Remind me never to piss you off during that time of the month," he said dryly.

Shadow couldn't help but quip _"That was nothing, kupo. You should see her when she_ isn't _using a cheap wand, kupo."_

He had seen more impressive flame spells, and this was nothing compared to what would have happened had she used her keyblade.

Blaize looked at the wisps of smoke that was once a bludger, then considering a _stronger_ version and shuddered. And here he thought his black widow mother was bad during that time of the month.

* * *

 _Later..._

"Wait...you're telling me someone deliberately cursed that stupid thing to attack us?!" said Tracy furious.

"I think they were aiming at Tania. Maybe a 'former' Death Eater saw where she was and decided to take advantage of it," said Daphne, making air quotes.

Susan, who heard the comment, snorted.

"I bet some of the inner circle are going to be pissed when they find out some idiot tried to kill her while she was in the middle of the Slytherin stands next to some of their heirs."

Draco had been a scant arm's reach from the initial blast, and had gotten a good scrape for it. He was whining about it to Snape, who was already livid that someone had attacked _his_ snakes.

Odds were Lucius Malfoy would be demanding an inquiry the moment he heard about the incident.

Spotting Hagrid, Tania discreetly ducked behind Blaize.

It wasn't that she was afraid of him, but it felt incredibly awkward the way he kept inviting her to tea. She barely knew him, and he had the strangest penchant for pets that most people avoided.

She wasn't going to go to his hut without plenty of reinforcements including at least one teacher.

"What is it with you and Hagrid?" asked Susan.

"He keeps inviting me to tea, and despite how 'nice' I've heard he is, I've also heard he invites...Gryffindors...frequently. And frankly I'd like to _lessen_ the chance of running into any of them, especially if their name is Weasley," said Tania.

"Say no more. Avoiding a Weasley, especially since the current lot seems to have developed an unfounded grudge against you is perfectly acceptable," said Daphne.

It was pretty obvious that the Weasleys had it out for Tania, and from all appearances it was completely unwarranted. They just disliked her for reasons of their own.

What was surprising was that the stuck-up Percy went after her so much. He was such a rule stickler that it was hard to believe he'd risk his badge to harass her.

"I'd consider owling their mother to get them to stop, but I don't think it would do any good," admitted Tania tiredly.

"They've learned to tune her out. You'd probably have better luck asking their head of the family to get them to stop," said Blaize.

"Who's the head of their family?"

"The head of the Weasley family is Arthur, the patriarch. He works at the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts office," said Tracy.

"But until then, if they bother you one more time...then perhaps we should mobilize the entire house against them until they get the message," said Hannah.

Tania winced.

"Won't that get her in trouble though?" asked Hermione, who had run up to join them.

"Not at all. If you attack one Hufflepuff, you attack us all. Besides the only reason we haven't done anything before now is because Tania seems to roll with the punches," said Susan cheerfully. The Weasleys didn't know what they were messing with.

"Besides, we have the perfect weapon against them!" said Hannah grinning.

"What?" asked Daphne, interested.

"Tonks!"

"You're right! I'm sure she'd get a good laugh teaching some stupid boys a good lesson in how to treat a girl, especially one as nice as Tania is!" said Susan.

"Who or what is Tonks?" asked Hermione.

"She's a seventh year that's planning to stick around an extra year to get a leg up on her Auror's exam. She's also a metamorph, so it's nearly impossible to pin anything on her," said Susan with glee.

"Wait...a metamorph? She wouldn't happen to be a Black would she?" asked Blaize intently.

"Her mother was, but she got kicked out for marrying a muggleborn," said Susan.

"Which technically makes her Tania's cousin once removed," said Hannah helpfully. She made a face. "Draco is actually a closer relative though."

Tania made a face herself.

"Look at the bright side. If worst came to worse, you could always sick your cousin Narcissa Malfoy nee Black on the Weasleys. I heard she's not exactly a fan of their mother Molly," said Daphne.

"That's a bit harsh, isn't it?" said Hermione.

"Not at all. They've been harassing her for weeks for no reason at all, and the only reason Hufflepuff hasn't annihilated them school-wise is because Tania seemed to be ignoring it," said Susan.

"Besides, it's about time someone taught those stupid twins a lesson!" said Hannah with fervor.

" _Sounds exciting, kupo,"_ said Shadow from where he was being held by Tania.

"I blame boredom," deadpanned Tania.

"That too," said Hannah without any shame at all.


	5. The Halloween feast and the Heartless

**As promised, once the reviews hit 28 I have posted the update! Be on alert for other updates as my birthday present to you all!**

* * *

"Oh-ho. So this is the ickle firstie that had Sprout up in arms with the old cat. So what can your big bad cousin do for you?" asked Nymphadora (say my first name and DIE) Tonks.

"The Weasleys have been targeting her for no reason since school started, and we're bored," said Hannah without any shame.

Tonks blinked.

"Targeting...how?"

"Ron insults her during any paired classes, Percy finds new and inventive ways to try and deduct points, and the twins seemed to be trying to get her caught up in some of their mass pranks," said Susan.

"Wait... brown-noser Percy is pulling a _Snape_?" said Tonks in disbelief.

"Professor Snape likes me because I at least listen and speak to him with respect...and because he thinks if he's nice to me then Shadow might share some secrets of the Moogles with him to make his potions better," said Tania.

Actually the unofficial reason was because she reminded him of Lily, her 'mother'. She had been good at potions as well, and she didn't really discriminate against Slytherin until after their fight and the war had really hit home.

"So what do you need me for?" asked Tonks.

"Well...we thought you might want to get in on the first attack against those stupid boys for harassing Tania," said Hannah.

"And because it would be harder to pin anything on me since I can turn into others."

"How does that work anyway?" asked Tania, curious.

Tonks grinned mischievously, before she turned into a replica of Tania. It almost seemed like she melted into her.

Tania blinked.

"How do you do that?"

"I just do, I guess. I had the hardest time when I first started out, but now it's like second nature."

Tania considered something, before she squinted her eyes...and unseen by her, they turned a shade of blue instead of the usual green.

Tonks looked at her with laser intensity.

"Do that again. Try your hair this time."

Tania blinked, but thought about Naminé for some reason. Her hair slowly but surely 'melted' into a white color.

Hearing the surprised gasp of Susan and Hannah, she lost her concentration and it went back to black with tints of red.

Tonks grinned.

"Looks like I have someone to show the ropes to. This should be fun. Alright, I'll help you prank those stupid red heads. I've been meaning to get Fred and George anyway after the last time they accidentally got me with one of their pranks."

"What happened?" asked Susan.

"Let's just say they picked the worst time of the month to hit me with itching powder...it went all down my robes and everything," shuddered Tonks. The girls winced in sympathy.

"So...down with the men and let the strong women rule?" said Hannah a little too eagerly. Every girl there had a somewhat sinister look...including Tania.

Every male in the castle felt a shiver of doom go down their spine.

* * *

Tania was in the library again when she stumbled across something. It was a book, but more importantly was the symbol _on_ the book.

It was Kingdom Hearts, with the symbol of the Keyblade under it.

Tania pulled the book off the shelf...and Xion took her place.

 _Protectors of the Heart._

Xion checked to see if it was a Hogwarts book. It wasn't. She hid it under her other books and waited until she was safely in her room before she cracked the cover open.

The first thing she saw was Kingdom Hearts, followed by a picture of what could only be a Keyblade.

Xion read the entire book...and came to the realization someone had deliberately put it someplace only a Keyblade Bearer could find it.

But it was the chapter on the Princess of the Heart that stuck to her.

Her hand reached up to her chest, where she knew her heart was. She could feel it beat under her hand. It was a reminder that while she had been born a Replica, she had a Heart.

The book said that the Princesses of the Heart were the Guardians of Light, and that the Keyblade Bearers were the Knights who dispelled the Darkness and kept the Princesses safe. The Princesses were keys to Kingdom Hearts, and to the door that kept all the Darkness locked up.

She was the Replica of Sora, a Knight of the Keyblade. Meant solely to insure Sora never woke up by taking power from Roxas, his Nobody.

She wasn't supposed to exist, and yet she did. Not only that, she wielded a Keyblade and yet the Nobodies listened to her.

So what did that make her? Was she a knight, or was she something else? It was extremely confusing.

* * *

 _Elsewhere..._

"You just _had_ to leave that book where that particular Nobody would find it, didn't you Merlin?" said Yen Sid.

"I don't know what you mean, Yen Sid," said Merlin, sipping his tea.

"You know perfectly well what I mean. That girl is an anomaly of the highest order, and that's not considering the fact she somehow ended up in an infant that should have _died_ ," complained Yen Sid.

She was a Replica. She was a Keyblade Bearer. She was a Nobody.

And she had _died_ at the hands of another Keyblade bearer for the greater good of all.

And now number fourteen, Xion, was alive again. The infant she possessed had been murdered with a spell that destroyed Heart and Soul, and yet here a dead Nobody was walking around in the body. By this point the only term that could be used was that she had somehow accidentally resurrected it, except the soul and new Heart that took it's place was too naturally seamed together.

And there was no way an 'accidental' resurrection would cause that.

Merlin chuckled.

"You are wise, old friend, but you do not see. The girl is one of the Princesses, but at the same time she's not like them. She doesn't guard against the Heartless. She's there to serve as hope for the Nobodies."

Yen Sid glared at him.

"You knew about this beforehand. Before she even showed up at your precious school."

Merlin chuckled.

"My dear friend, I've seen what she becomes! Or have you forgotten that I time travel for vacation? Her emergence marked a significant change in future events! She serves as a catalyst for that world, one that could save it from the Darkness festering in it's core!"

Yen Sid stared.

"I thought you had ordered the Keyhole sealed once the school was formed?"

"Darkness takes many forms. And it seems to have latched onto one unfortunate lad and bred even more of it. Left unchecked the world would be lost and the Darkness would have a proper foothold that doesn't rely on the heartless."

Yen Sid looked at the reborn Xion, and then at the world. It did seem unusually Dark.

"I take it you intend to help her then?"

"I will soon enough. She still has to create a place of safety for herself, where she doesn't have to hide what she is. I want see how she handles that old dragon."

Xion felt safe...to an extent... in the Castle That Never Was. The same castle Maleficent had taken over.

Depending on how she dealt with the dragon, Merlin might 'accidentally' allow her to stumble across some old friends.

The idea of Greater Good was fine for some, but in this case they could use all the Keyblade Bearers they could get, and some of them had been lost unfairly in the name of the Greater Good.

Besides, it would give Xion a reason to favor his version of "Good" rather than the misguided views of the old fool who took over his castle.

"I hope you know what you're doing, Merlin. This could turn out badly for all," said Yen Sid.

"It couldn't possibly be worse than what I saw if she hadn't been reborn. I've seen the fate of that world, and it was barely hanging on against the darkness to begin with," said Merlin firmly.

* * *

Tania wasn't really as excited about Halloween like the other students were. However there was one thing she had to do before the feast.

"Hermione Granger, come out of that stall this instant!" said Tania pouting.

"But... but..."

"No buts! I don't know what that cad of a lion said to you, but you should know that boy is a complete idiot. His words have no meaning, and he's not to be trusted."

"He said I was a know-it-all with no friends! Just because I corrected him on his pronunciation!" bawled Hermione.

"Am I not your friend?" said Tania, tapping her boots.

Slowly, the door swung open to reveal a red-eyed Hermione. She had tear tracks down her face.

Tania found herself with an armful of crying witch.

"There, there. You're sitting with us for the feast. And then you can help us come up with a proper response to the insult."

"Us?"

"Susan and Hannah got Tonks to agree to help us get those stupid boys back. And I've had it up to here with Ron's insults and snide comments. It's about time us girls taught those boys a lesson," said Tania, patting her head.

Hermione took a tissue and wiped her face with it...but what became revealed was a picture determination.

She was going to get even with that red haired jerk if it got her expelled.

* * *

 _Two hours later..._

"Troll! Troll in the dungeon!"

"What's a troll?" asked Tania to Susan who was unusually pale.

"Trolls are creatures with limited intelligence. How did one get in? The wards are supposed to keep wild ones out!" said Susan horrified.

When Dumbledore told them all to return to their houses, Tania stood up horrified.

"What about the Slytherins? Their house is _in_ the dungeons!" she called out above the din.

Everyone paused, shocked she would dare contradict Dumbledore so openly like that.

Finally, Snape spoke.

"Ms. Potter is correct. Sending _my_ Slytherins to their house might put them in the same vicinity as this troll. Perhaps we should have thje students remain with some of the teachers instead. It lessens the risk of any of them splitting off and getting found by the troll," said Snape calmly.

The ones left behind to guard four houses of children and teenagers were Professor Vector (Arithimancy), Professor Sinestra (Astrology) and Professor McGonagall.

For some reason, Tania really, really didn't like having McGonagall left behind, no matter what her skill level.

Most of of the food was cleared away, much to the vocal displeasure of Ronald Weasley.

But it was the looks McGonagall not so discreetly kept shooting at Tania that made her the most nervous.

Everyone was chattering away nervously...when they heard the distinct sound of thuds. The closer they got, the quieter the children became. Until everyone heard the loud sound of massive feet walking to the doors.

 _ **BANG. BANG. BANG. BANG.**_

Each hit upon the door made most of the students scream louder. Then the worst happened.

The door broke apart, the bar holding it closed shattering into thick splinters that thankfully didn't hit anyone.

Most of the students tried to bolt towards the back, but the second Tania saw what was waiting for them in the entrance of the Great Hall, she sprang into action.

This was no troll.

Out of pure instinct, she threw her wand up, and it spun twice before _changing_ into a form familiar to her.

A keyblade, but not one she recognized.

It was almost a night black, with a luminescent sheen that seemed to have a kaleidoscope of colors. The colors seemed to shift with every angle, every change of the light, and the flickering light of the candles didn't help. Instead of the usual "Mickey Mouse" head, it had the shape of a heart with wings at the end of the chain.

Xion burst into action, using Flowmotion to get ahead of any of the reaching hands of her friends. Or the teachers for that matter.

The giant Heartless roared, it's massive blade swinging down to strike her dead. Xion moved like water, avoiding the blade entirely as she threw up her hand and said clearly _"THUNDER!"  
_

Lightning sprang from her hand, slamming into the heartless and driving it back out of the hall.

It seemed to be annoyed by lightning, so she switched tactics with ease.

She aimed her keyblade at the Heartless and tried a different element.

" _FIRAGA!"_

The stream of flame was more massive than any blast from a dragon's mouth. It weakened the heartless greatly, and she realized it really didn't like fire.

In between her fire spells, the health bar on the Heartless went down significantly, until it was weak enough to be taken out with a single strike.

She jumped up high, using the walls like a launching platform, and sliced downward with her keyblade. The Heartless disappeared with the familiar specks of light and massive heart. To be returned to Kingdom Hearts.

Hearing the din behind her, Xion was almost afraid of how she was supposed to explain this to the others, much less the teachers.

That was when she saw it.

A strange orb of light floated down from the ceiling...and the enchantment to show the night sky flickered briefly. Long enough for her to get a good look at what was actually _up_ there.

Above was a cheerful old man she recognized from her memories.

Merlin.

He was watching the entire thing.

She was inside the Great Hall when the orb fell to the ground, and there was flash of light. When she could see again, she found the others talking in nervous whispers about how close the "troll" came to breaking down the Great Hall doors, and how lucky it was that Professor Snape had come in time to drive it off.

No one said a word about her charging at the creature. Not a single mention of her wand turning into a key-shaped blade. Nothing about how she had cast magic without a wand, or how it disappeared.

When she returned to her room, absolutely confused, she found an excited Shadow waiting for her.

"What happened?" she asked.

" _Merlin showed up, kupo! He said that since you took out that Heartless before it could cause any mischief, you deserve a reward, kupo!"_

Xion stared. On her bed was a new bag, filled with some books and a note.

 _'To the Princess of Nobodies,_

 _You have no idea how pleased I am that you were willing to defend the children so readily. I know your 'headmaster' goes on and on about redemption, but they don't have the first wit about the word means. Not like you do._

 _If you are willing, I'd be happy to teach you real magic rather than the paltry spells used by the_ children _of that world if you agree to continue defending it. I'm afraid Darkness has taken root on that world and any keyblade bearers born to it are quick to leave, rather than try to deal with it._

 _I will contact you properly once you've found a way to deal with that ornery dragon that has taken over your castle._

 _Merlin_

 _P.S., I've also cleaned up the mess that Heartless made at the feast. No sense in warning the one who acts as the Darkness' pawn to be alerted this early.'_

Well. That certainly explained a lot.

"...Princess of Nobodies?" repeated Xion.

Well, that was one way to put it, she supposed. And it meant that Merlin saw her as a real person, not just a replica of Sora. That cheered her up considerably.

" _So what happened at the feast, kupo?"_

"A giant Heartless broke in and tried to cause trouble," said Xion.

" _WHAT?!"_


	6. Musical hobbies and gathering allies

**As the Night Owl said to the Evil Morning person... "Holy Crap, my night vision is amazing!"**

 **"...Go to bed you idiot. That's the dawn," - Evil Morning person.**

* * *

"Wow... Professor McGonagall was really harsh today again, wasn't she?" said Susan.

"I think she has it out for me because I was sorted into Hufflepuff, and I've accidentally sparked a revolution of alterations to the school robe," said Tania tiredly.

After the incident at the beginning of school, where McGonagall was forced to back down to _Sprout_ , the girls had started an underground revolution to see how far they could push the Transfiguration teacher.

So far ribbons in house colors, small patches that only needed a little application of heat, embroideries, even additions such as intricate linings were added.

When asked about the 'rules' by Tania, she kept it simple. It had to cover everything the robes were _supposed_ to cover (Scotland _was_ cold after all), it couldn't be offensive or racist, and above all the main color had to stay black. Aside from that, anything went.

One would think that the Gryffindors would push the boundaries the most, but the reality couldn't be more different.

They were the most _subdued_.

It didn't take a genius to understand why. McGonagall was the head of Gryffindor, and she took the alterations to the simple and boring black robes as an offense to her sensibilities. The other female teachers didn't seem to mind, so long as the robes didn't become too racy or get in the way of classwork.

In fact, Flitwick the Charms teacher was encouraging them to think of new ways to alter the robes while staying true to the traditional black.

It was encouraging his female students to think about how to use their magic to make their alterations even more dazzling. And it meant that they were learning useful household spells, since they had to learn how to use laundry spells Tania had long since mastered after the incident, in order to make them stick.

It was doing something that the teachers wouldn't have thought possible.

The simple act of being allowed to modify their robes to express themselves had given them an outlet...and school unity was at an all time high for the first time in decades.

It was hard to hate someone from a rival house when they were helping you add little changes to your robes. Especially since it gave the female students a chance to gossip with new sources they otherwise wouldn't.

"Wonder why she hates you? I mean aside from that issue with the robes and not being a Gryffindor, you've pretty much stayed under the radar. Which is surprising come to think of it," said Susan.

For someone as famous as Titania Potter was surprisingly able to slip under the radar while at the same time maintaining the ability to make friends with practically _everyone_. About the only house she had no friends in was Gryffindor, but to be fair, they weren't exactly trying.

"So...what are we and our legion of females going to do about this?" asked Susan impishly.

Tania blinked, before a slow grin spread across her face.

"Perhaps it's time the students showed the teachers that we're not going to let the fear of losing points that have no meaning be held against us."

"What do you mean points that have no meaning?" asked Hannah.

"What do we get when we win the house cup? I mean outside of bragging rights?"

Susan and Hannah looked at each other. What _did_ they get out of the house cup, outside of bragging rights at the end of the year?

The unholy spark of rebellion had been brought to life. And the start of it all was an innocent question by Tania.

* * *

 _A short time later..._

"Wait, wait...you're planning to rebel because of the house cup?" said Tonks.

"We get nothing out of it outside of bragging rights, and they hold the fear of losing points over our head all year. I mean the detentions are annoying, but that's all they are," said Hannah.

"...I'll come up with a list of things you can do, but please, wait until I graduate will you?" said Tonks.

"Deal," said Susan and Hannah eagerly.

"So where is our unspoken leader anyway?"

"McGonagall gave her extra homework again. Said her last assignment wasn't good enough and that she had to redo it or get a Troll," said Hannah angrily.

"She really dislikes Tania for some reason."

"It seems time for us to move to phase two."

"Remind me again, what was phase one?" asked Tania.

"Gathering the army. Not much point in revolutionizing the school without back up. And considering you've more or less liberated most of the stuffy pure blood girls by telling them it was okay to modify their robes..." said Tonks.

"They're more likely to at least hear me out."

"Trust me on this. They're almost all pamper princesses and the only way to get anything done is to get to them early. The pure bloods hold the power in this country, and nothing that's been done has ever changed that."

Tania took the seat left open, and thought about it.

"The muggleborns want to completely integrate technology or science too quickly, the pure bloods are afraid of change, and it doesn't help that the powers on both sides want to keep the status quo the way it's been for generations, with only variances on how to treat the creature-inheritance and new bloods," she summed up.

"Pretty much. Eventually most muggle-raised students go back to what they know, but it just means that there's less and less magical bloodlines still alive. It doesn't help that you-know-who wiped out any lines that didn't agree with him," shrugged Tonks.

"Or that Dumbledore has allowed the Ministry to become so corrupt that you can pretty much do anything you want if you know who to bribe. Take the Malfoy family for example...they've got the Minister himself in their back pocket," said Susan with disgust.

"So the question is how do we promote change, without trying to shove mundane ideals down the throats of the pure bloods," said Tania.

"Well you made a real start when you freed us to alter our robes _our_ way and express ourselves," said Tonks.

"That was an accident. I never knew McGonagall would take it so badly," said Tania, shrinking into herself.

"Well it definitely sparked a revolution among the houses. Which is exactly what this school needs. Now, the next step with most of the girls on our side is to target the traditionalist teachers. Most of which fall under McGonagall's lead."

"Not Dumbledore?"

"Please, everyone knows she would follow him even if it meant committing murder. She might bitch about it, but she would eventually do it. She's his pawn to keep us in line without getting his hands dirty," scoffed Tonks.

The younger girl's eyes widened. They hadn't realized it was _that_ bad.

"So what do we change next?" asked Hannah eagerly, wanting to change the subject.

"Music," said Tania flatly. She couldn't _stand_ the Weird Sisters, because it sounded like someone who didn't know how to play. Most of the wizard's music sounded like people who barely knew how to keep a tune.

Tonks grinned.

"I know who to ask if we want to hack the muggle's radio signal. He's been wanting an excuse for it for years."

"What house is he in?" asked Susan.

"It's Lee Jordan from Gryffindor."

"Then keep my name out of it. Gryffindors and I don't agree... especially since McGonagall made it clear she has it out for me."

"Not to mention the fact that the Weasleys have made a point to target you for no reason. They're die hard supporters of the 'Light' side, and if they don't like you then people are going to make serious questions as to which side you support," said Hannah.

The only reason people didn't automatically brand her as Dark was because she was a Hufflepuff. It was stupid.

* * *

Tania was passing by an empty classroom when she saw it.

A grand piano, one that didn't have any dust on it.

Curious, she walked inside and opened the lid. The keys were well worn, but obviously loved. Touching a few, a clear sound was heard. It was obviously tuned properly.

Class had ended, and she had taken lessons for years on how to play. It had been one of the attempts for Petunia to get her to open up (it worked better than the ballet had). She was still allowed to take them once she got home, if she was interested, because the teacher said she had a knack for it.

Remembering a song she heard on the internet on her old computer, Tania tried to recreate it. It helped that the song was mostly played with piano in the background.

Smoothly she switched it over to Beethoven, which she did know how to play.

It wasn't until the song ended that she heard clapping. Her head whipped over to where Professor Flitwick was.

"Well done! Well done indeed Ms. Potter! I haven't heard anyone play that well in some time! We still keep it tune, but most years it's left out of use," said Flitwick excitably.

"I'm so sorry! I had no idea this was a club room!" stammered Tania embarrassed. She just liked playing as a hobby.

"It's perfectly alright! How would you like to join the music club? We could use a good player who knows what they're doing, and the only instrument that we use is the violin...and she's not very good at it."

"Well...the violin and the piano are often played together..." said Tania.

"Excellent! The next meeting is on Wednesday," said Flitwick. "You should know that there is a charm that can replicate the piano so you can practice without one. We had to develop one when the piano was in need of repairs."

"Really?" Tania perked up.

 _A little while later..._

"NO WAY! You know how to play piano?!" said Hannah impressed.

"I wasn't really that energetic growing up, so my aunt tried a lot of things to get me to open up. It wasn't until I got shadow that I started to really talk to people. One of the few things that I seemed to actually enjoy was playing music, so she had me take piano lessons since I couldn't really get the hang of the violin."

There were several things she tried, but only a few she stuck with.

Gymnastics, piano, swimming, reading and dancing were the only things she could stick with. She had almost ended up in martial arts lessons like Dudley (he was thrown out for bullying), but Petunia argued it wasn't feminine enough.

She had a rather large collection of sea shells. She had gathered most of them during family vacation, and it was a harmless (and free) hobby, so her aunt allowed it.

"So where are you going for Christmas?" asked Susan. It was a month away.

"I'm heading home. I have to have some photos developed so my aunt can see the castle properly, and I promised I would. I think she'll be happy," said Tania.

It also made it easier for her to slip out and deal with the dragon in the castle. She didn't have to worry about any wards picking up if she brought any of the Lesser Nobodies out.

"I always heard muggle families hated having magical children," said Hannah. Tania winced.

"My aunt doesn't like magic, but she is afraid of it. When I got my letter she was really unhappy because she said magic took her sister from her, even before she was murdered. She used to be really close until my mother was accepted into Hogwarts, and one time she just asked to see the castle for herself since she heard so much about it. Dumbledore sent her a flat refusal, stating that she couldn't see it anyway and it really upset her. My uncle though...he hates magic. He thinks it's abnormal, so my aunt lied and said I was accepted into a boarding school in Scotland without saying which one."

"I hate to be rude...but do you remember, you know...that night?" asked Susan.

Tania went really quiet.

"I remember _everything_. The doctors all said that the reason I was so withdrawn was because of the trauma caused by seeing my mother die in front of me. That it would take some time before I could function normally, and to keep trying," said Tania, almost in a whisper.

It wasn't until she found Shadow that her mind cleared up and she was able to function something close to a normal girl. She still called her aunt every week, though most of the time that was to complain about the school and the sheer stupidity that was in it.

She really had a lot to say in the first few months.

"So what's your aunt like?" asked Susan.

"She's really OCD when it comes to cleaning. She wasn't cruel, but she didn't know how to handle having someone so withdrawn around. Still, she did at least try. I almost forgot! I'm going to be having another little cousin soon!"

"Really? Is your aunt pregnant?" squealed Hannah. There was something ingrained in all females to gush about new babies.

Tania shook her head emphatically.

"Dudley is her only child. Apparently something when wrong after he was born. They've been on the adoption list for two years now, and she said they might be getting a pair of twins soon from the agency after Christmas," said Tania.

Left unspoken was the fact that the agency had to make an inspection of the home and more importantly of Tania's mental state. A lot was riding on how she was after the initial assessment.

Considering she was far more vocal and outgoing than she had been during that first meeting, Petunia had high hopes. Vernon didn't care so long as he had Dudley and he didn't have to deal with the infants.

"So...twins?"

"A boy and a girl. Aunt Petunia didn't give me the specifics, but she said that they were remodeling the house to prepare for the twins ahead of time. Which means I'm not likely to get much sleep this summer if it works out."

"Hello sleepovers," said Hannah grinning.

"Many, many sleepovers," agreed Susan.

"So how goes the gathering of the pre-teen and teenaged army?" joked Tania.

"It goes very well indeed. The idea of being allowed to listen to our music and not what the old fogies tell us is acceptable is causing quite the buzz. Especially among those mundane-raised. Apparently they don't really like the Weird Sisters either," said Hannah.

Some had complained that the boy band era sounded better than the Weird Sisters.


	7. Beaches and revelations

"So you'll be sure to call me during Christmas?" said Hermione.

"We _did_ exchange cell phone numbers for that reason," said Tania.

"So what are you going to be doing for Christmas?"

"I'm thinking of asking my aunt for more piano lessons over the summer, but outside of an important meeting for my aunt we're heading to the beach."

"...Why the beach?"

"I like collecting sea shells, and my aunt seems to think that's a harmless reward for behaving all year. Besides, she hates the cold," said Tania shrugging.

"Well I hope you have a pleasant Christmas Tania," said Hermione.

"You too, Hermione!" said Tania cheerfully. Shadow was sleeping in her oversized shoulder bag, because he refused to go near her trunk.

He might play the part of a doll outside the castle, but he refused to be stuffed in the trunk.

Petunia raised an eyebrow at Tania when she left the pillar, and noticed that her eyes seemed more alive, more aware than they had been prior to leaving home.

She also wasn't wearing her usual coat. Petunia had taken Tania clothes shopping for _normal_ clothes before she left for Hogwarts, though she rarely had reason to wear them considering her feud with McGonagall.

Which was why the first chance she had once the train was going was to switch out of her coat and into something a bit more normal.

She had a lavender purple short sleeved shirt with a light fuchsia flora pattern on the bottom and white trims. Her jacket was a light purple color with white linings and she had a pair of long white pants that went with her shoulder bag...which had a Moogle charm hanging off the side that Shadow had given her. She was wearing sensible black and purple boots, since she wasn't that big a fan of sneakers.

In short, she looked like a perfectly normal girl and nothing like the witch she was.

Petunia did a ten second inspection of her niece before sniffing in approval that the girl showed some common sense. With the trunk placed in the back of the car by a disgruntled Vernon, Tania watched as the scenery passed by.

Vernon stopped her before she went into the house.

"I'm only going to give you one warning girl. No magic or funny business during the holidays. Are we clear?" he asked irritably.

"Yes, Uncle. I was thinking of continuing my piano lessons and only doing my written work over the holidays," said Tania.

"Good. So long as I don't have to see any of this magic nonsense, I'll pretend you're not one of those lazy fools who do everything with a wave of a stick," said Vernon gruffly.

Tania barely avoided rolling her eyes, which would have been bad.

"To be honest I've been doing my own laundry for months now," said Tania, hoping that might earn some points in her favor.

She guessed correctly.

"Good!"

With that bullet dodged (and wondering when Petunia told him the truth) Tania brought her trunk up to her room, which was covered in a sea pattern with her sea shells hanging up on the wall.

" _Finally, kupo!"_ said Shadow, glad to be out of that bag. He had to pretend to be an odd doll the entire ride and he was cramped.

"Just be patient. Once I deal with Maleficent you might be able to have more room to work with," said Xion.

" _I can't believe_ Merlin _called you the Princess of Nobodies. Does that make you like the Princesses of the Heart, kupo?"_

"We can ask him once we see him. For now lets just get ready for the meeting and hope for the best. Auntie really wants to adopt those twins," said Tania, stretching.

* * *

An important looking official graced the door of Number four. Petunia ushered him in, with Tania already sitting on her spot on the couch with Shadow in her arms. Vernon had learned to tolerate his existence for one simple reason.

Tania had claimed Shadow was a doll from a video game, and therefor not magical at all. And had proven it through multiple sources.

Petunia was already planning to get her niece a copy of the games she mentioned, particularly the one based off of the Disney franchise because they were purely normal in origin and keep her grounded in reality.

She knew there was a magic class, but as long as Tania didn't go recreating it she would turn a blind eye.

Besides, it might give her niece a chance to build some form of bonding between her and Dudley.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Mrs. Dursley," he said politely.

"It's a joy to see you again Mr. Thomas," said Petunia pleasantly.

Thomas went over to Tania and greeted her first, once he had exchanged pleasantries with Vernon. She was the true test of the meeting.

"How are you doing today, Ms. Potter?"

"I'm doing very well, Mr. Thomas," said Tania. He raised an eyebrow at the sound of actual emotion in her voice.

"I see. Who's your little friend?"

"His name is Shadow. He's a Moogle," said Tania brightly.

"From _Final Fantasy,_ if I'm not mistaken. My son plays that game too, though he's more infatuated with football," said Mr. Thomas.

Tania looked at him closer, then she realized why he seemed familiar...and not because he had been there before.

"Oh, you're _Dean's_ dad. He's not as rude to me as the other Lions are."

Mr. Thomas' eyebrows shot up. It took him a few seconds before he realized the connection.

"Indeed. I'll be having a talk with Dean about that later, I assure you."

"I don't think it's entirely his fault. His head of house is very rude because I dared to modified the 'correct' uniform, despite the fact all I did was add a zipper and some silver decorations."

"Now I'm definitely going to have a word with him later."

Seeing Petunia's confusion, Mr. Thomas dropped the fake pleasant attitude he'd had before and brought up a real one.

"My son is what they call a 'muggleborn'," he said by way of explanation.

"I prefer the term first-gen or new blood myself. It's hard to get Hannah and Susan to use the word 'mundane' instead of muggle, which sounds more like a made up word," said Tania.

With that particular ice broken (and making it easier on Petunia to explain the school her niece went to) Mr. Thomas went through all the routine questions and observed Tania's mental state.

He could say with perfect honesty there was genuine improvement, even if he had to alter a few things in his report. In fact the odds were now in Petunia's favor to get the twins.

He calmly told them that they'd get the report on whether they qualified as 'adopters' by the time they returned from their vacation.

Petunia was torn between relief and surprise that the civil servant had a son who also went to Hogwarts. Instead she put it out of mind.

That was one hurdle over with.

Now to face another.

"What did you mean that the lions were rude to you?" she asked Tania.

The girl snorted in annoyance.

"It seems that because McGonagall doesn't like me for altering the robes and sparking other minor changes of the school uniform, she's chosen to treat me like Professor Snape treats the Gryffindors. She singles me out whenever she can get away with it, and as a result the Gryffindors are rather rude to me. I have no friends at all with that house, which is ironic considering I'm good friends with several Slytherins, who are their rivals. And _everyone_ says that if you're sorted into Slytherin, you're doomed to become a dark wizard or witch," said Tania in annoyance.

"What's your opinion of the houses?" asked Petunia with honesty.

"Slytherin is for the old bloods who don't want to give up their traditions...or for those with actual ambition at eleven. Gryffindor is full of the jocks and popular kids. Ravenclaw is for the smart kids and those who are generally loners because they like to read and learn. And Hufflepuff is for those who understand loyalty and getting their hands dirty, or wouldn't fit anywhere else," said Tania bluntly. "Which reminds me, I printed these out for you Auntie."

Petunia accepted the pictures, which weren't the best quality, but gave a good overall view of Hogwarts from the inside out. Tania had borrowed a broom and the help of the older years to properly document the outside of the castle.

* * *

The Caribbean was beautiful during winter, and full of other tourists that wanted to avoid the colder climates of their own homes.

Tania loved it. She spent hours looking for sea shells to add to her collection, as Dudley spent hours trying (and failing) to surf or impress the girls. He was having better luck learning how to stay on a surfboard.

It was during one of her aunt and uncle's "little honeymoon days" that she decided to check on the Castle That Never Was. It wasn't like she would be missed for a couple of hours, and she made it clear she was more interested in sea shells than the sea at the moment.

Which was good because she'd heard a report of some nasty jellyfish were about to swarm in the area.

Donning her coat, she went through the Corridor of Darkness and returned to the one place she could never forget. For all the sadness that came from being part of the Organization, she had a lot of good memories as well.

Xion went through the castle methodically, and the one thing that struck her as odd was the absence of Heartless or the witch that controlled them.

By the time she reached the "apartments" of the Greater Nobodies that made up the Organization, she had failed to see a single hint of Maleficent.

Yes, there was evidence she had been in the castle for some time. Some dark tomes carelessly left behind, or random potions and experiments here and there.

But Maleficent was absent.

Xion didn't like it. It was too quiet, even for the castle. And she didn't think Maleficent would hand over the realm so easily.

That was when she heard something fly past the Castle at high speeds, causing the windows to rattle.

She ran to the window to find... a massive phoenix-like Nobody, flying around. There was clear evidence of wounds on it's body, and what could only be massive claw marks.

It was blatantly obvious that this creature had chased Maleficent off, which was funny considering the witch didn't seem like the type to back down.

Sensing an intruder to the castle, the thing screeched loudly as it dove towards where she was.

Xion ran to one of the outer parapets, ready to do battle. She had no idea that such a Nobody existed! She had never seen one like this before!

She brought forth her keyblade, and was about to jump at the thing when it suddenly stopped just outside of her reach to jump.

The thing seemed...confused?

It screeched, and on a hunch, Xion summoned some of the Sniper Nobodies just in case.

It screeched even louder, before doing a full circuit of the castle and coming close enough for her to touch.

It was even bigger close up, but Xion had the feeling this Nobody wasn't interested in attacking her like it was before. Instead, the thing seemed to...nuzzle...the top of her head.

Xion petted it's strange body, which made the creature happy.

"You chased off Maleficent, didn't you?"

It screeched, a little lower.

"Tell you what. You can keep the higher reaches of the Castle if you don't mind guarding the World That Never Was," said Xion.

It made something akin to a trill, before taking roost in the higher reaches of the castle. Xion was about dismiss the Sniper Nobodies, before an idea occurred to her.

"You can tell the others they're welcome to stay in the castle as well, so long as they don't bother the apartments," she told them.

The Nobodies chattered, and disappeared. A few seconds later a good chunk of all the types filled the castle, making themselves at home. They left the 'apartments' alone.

Xion checked her watch. She realized she should probably return before anyone suspected anything.

Dismissing the keyblade, Xion grabbed a few spares of her coat and stuffed them into her bag before returning. She made sure to gather several sea shells to cover where she had been the entire time.

A good thing as well, since the life guard came up to her to warn her that the jellyfish were being washed ashore and that she should probably head in until they were removed.

She narrowly avoided stepping on one as she headed back to the hotel.

Once in her room, she was confronted by Shadow.

" _Well, kupo?"_

"Maleficent was chased off before I got there. I told the Nobodies to guard the castle until I needed it. I also grabbed some spares for both of us," said Xion.

Shadow dropped a foot in shock.

"Maleficent _was chased off?!"_

"A massive Nobody I've never seen before did it. It was about to chase me off, when it stopped. I think it recognized me or something," said Xion confused. Then she remembered something.

She had seen 'Fawkes' a few times, and had thought it had unusually dark coloration.

Was the headmaster's phoenix really a Heartless he had bound to him? Merlin had mentioned that the Darkness had an unusual foothold in this world, and that it had attached itself to a boy some time ago.

Was he referring to Dumbledore, and not Voldemort like she had thought?


	8. A meeting with the ghosts

Xion returned twice to the castle, and found it full of Nobodies. They seemed to be happy in the Castle That Never Was, and they ignored Shadow as a matter of course when she brought him.

Shadow was thrilled to have a place to do some actual experiments without having to worry about being seen. He honestly never thought he'd return to this place after leaving with Roxas, his best customer.

Xion even started to customize her room again. She kept some of the shells she couldn't fit into her bag, as well as a small plant that was actually a small paopu fruit tree. She had gone to that island to gather the shells and some of the fruit.

One of which she kept to try and grow some in the castle. She sent one of them to Neville, intact, as a Christmas present. He was a nice boy, and she had high hopes that growing one of those trees in this world would bolster the Light, rather than the Darkness which festered.

* * *

Petunia was on pins and needles waiting for the mail man to arrive. They had returned a few days ago, and not a single letter had shown up from the office.

Once the mail came through the door, she was quick to snatch it up.

The sound she made upon recognizing the symbol on the letter causes everyone in the house to look at her strangely.

Tania comes down to hear the news.

Petunia scans the missive...and nearly collapses.

"We've been accepted. We can adopt the twins after they're born in April," said Petunia.

"I'll hire the contractors. You two should be ready to put your

things in storage just in case," said Vernon to the children. Dudley pouted, but Tania had long since moved most of her things to the room in the castle. Aside from having to store the ornaments in her room and some of her books, she didn't have anything that would be lost.

She considered the castle more of a home than this place, even if she was on speaking terms with the people who lived here.

Besides, it meant she didn't have to worry as much in the event she accidentally used magic in front of Vernon and had her school things locked away.

* * *

"Hey, Tania! Over here!" shouted Hermione. Tania was wearing her familiar black coat, which had the Hufflepuff crest on it.

This was so she could wear it to class and not get told off for it. It wasn't a robe, but it was easily mistaken for one.

"Hey, Hermione!" said Tania, waving to her friend.

"Phone at least once a week," said Petunia.

"I will, auntie," promised Tania.

"I'll warn you if we have to put your things in the basement until you return. You're lucky you don't have to sleep through the din," said Petunia.

Depending on how much the cost was going to be, they might end up sleeping in a hotel or visiting Marge while the construction was going on. Since they were adding a few extra rooms, Vernon agreed to add a sun-room below the addition so they could host fancier dinner parties.

They had considered moving to a new house, one with extra bedrooms, but had found that the ones they were interested in would always be snatched up at the last minute, or the house would be out of their accepted price range.

It was frustrating. And it meant that their only option would be to add to the house.

Petunia fully planned to give Tania a bigger room, and to leave the smaller bedroom for the infants. It would be closer to the master bedroom where they slept, and Tania was almost certain to become very cramped in that tiny room. It barely fit her things as it was.

Besides, what girl didn't appreciate a bigger closet?

Tania sat next to Hermione, comparing vacations.

"I can't believe you met Dean Thomas' dad over vacation."

"It gets better. We got a letter saying that my aunt was allowed to adopt a pair of twins when they're born. They're going to be renovating the house while I'm at school," said Tania.

"Wow. That's pretty lucky. My parents renovated their practice to allow more customers in, and the racket was horrible," said Hermione. "That reminds me. My sister has been asking if you could come over during the summer. None of her friends really like the same games, and she heard you got a copy of the entire _Final Fantasy_ set."

"I liked _Kingdom Hearts_ better," said Tania.

Even if it was beyond weird playing a game that was practically a playable version of what actually happened.

"I forgot, you're the girl with an honest to god Moogle as a pet," joked Hermione.

Shadow perked up hearing the word Moogle, but went back to sleep once he realized she was only making a reference. He had been up all night crafting in the Castle That Never Was, and chasing off the Dusks. He'd had to put a barrier around it, even though he was there when Xion asked them to leave the room alone.

As the two chatted, Tania couldn't help but remember the odd letter Merlin left for the Dusks to find.

They brought anything suspicious to her first, once they confirmed it was safe. Her existence was more important than theirs, and despite their lack of Hearts or emotions, they still put her safety first.

With the removal of Maleficent before she even arrived to the castle, Xion had more or less staked her claim on that world as _hers_. It didn't help that the only one the massive Nobody would listen to was Xion, or that the Nobodies had more or less taken over that world and removed any trace of Heartless from it.

And that massive Nobody was more than happy to keep Maleficent from reclaiming control over the Castle That Never Was.

So now Tania had to find a way to explain where she was when she went to meet Merlin in Hollow Bastion.

He had told her exactly where to find him once her school let out for the summer.

What Tania found on her bed when she returned to her 'room' in the Hufflepuff dorms made her instantly suspicious.

Who would leave her an oddly shaped package with no name on it? Her suspicion only went up when she read what the note said.

She could feel the magic on the thing, and she wasn't about to put it on without having someone check it first. Especially with the fact that the twins were known to leave such pranks out in the open.

So she opened up her trunk and tossed it into the bottom, covering it with books.

With the knowledge that the wards didn't detect the opening of the Corridor, or anyone using it to get around, Tania had left most of her new clothes in her closet inside the castle. She also left the books she wasn't reading on a bookshelf in her room, making her trunk far lighter.

On the plus side, she no longer had to rely on house hold charms to get her laundry done. She could use the washing machine like a normal person. Never again. She hated having to wear wet clothes because her charm work was still at the same level of a first year's.

* * *

Tania paid extra attention to Fawkes, during the rare times he joined the meals in the great hall. It wasn't until he took flight that she realized he had a lighter feathers on his chest. Feathers that seemed to take the form of a strange heart shape. The other feathers seemed to have a tendency towards the darker side of the color spectrum, without actually being black. It was almost like the phoenix was living under a shadow.

"Has the headmaster's phoenix always looked like that?" asked Tania one night at supper.

"Looked like what?" asked Diggory, one of the upper years.

"Well his coloring is a bit strange. I mean all the pictures I've sen of phoenixes have brighter colors, and look more like fire. And he has a weird mark on his chest," said Tania.

Diggory squinted. He didn't see anything out of the ordinary.

Tania suddenly shivered. Sir Nickolas, the Gryffindor ghost had just passed through her.

" _Terribly sorry!"_ said Nick.

"It's alright. You didn't cause any harm," said Tania.

" _You should be wary, young keyblade bearer. If the headmaster knows you can see his familiar's true form, he might target you before you can defend yourself,"_ said Nick quietly.

Tania had a very good poker face. She kept her expression normal, making no sign she heard the warning.

However she did learn one important fact.

The souls of those who lingered in the castle knew what she was... and they saw fit to warn those who could see the true nature of darkness before they revealed themselves.

Time to do some digging with the ghosts, to find out how deep the rot went.

* * *

Tania went in search of the ghosts. She found out from the Fat Friar that they had regular meetings at random points in the castle.

Finally she spotted one and followed them into a room on the seventh floor.

She remembered reading about this room from one of the many books in the library, so she walked past it three times imagining the meeting hall of the Castle That Never Was.

It was there she found the castle ghosts.

" _Welcome young keyblade bearer. Interesting choice in locations to meet with us,"_ said the Fat Friar.

"I thought going with the familiar would help," said Xion, taking her seat in the extremely tall chairs. The ghosts either milled about or settled around her.

" _Now that we're all here, we should get started. First I would like to welcome the newest keyblade bearer in many years. By what name do you call yourself?"_ asked Nick formally.

"My name is Xion, but you should only call me Tania outside these walls," she said equally formally.

" _Very well, Lady Xion. Hail and well met,"_ said the Bloody Baron.

"Hail and well met, guardians of Hogwarts. I wish to know how far the rot of Darkness is, and how much I will have to clear out to restore the balance," said Xion.

" _I'm afraid it's not that simple. The_ headmaster(Nick spat out the word like a vile curse) _has deeply rooted himself in all branches of government that would allow change. He is the source of why the Gryffindor house seeks to ostracize you in the castle."_

"Why?"

" _He recognized you as an unknown element when you openly disobeyed his pawn, Professor McGonagall. The fact you managed to prevent her from keeping the children in a stagnant state angered him. It doesn't help that you alerted the pure bloods that the deputy headmistress could have the house elves confiscate their personal property with little chance of them having it returned. The return of something as simple as modified robes has created ripples among the students. He fears change, for it risks the chance of them realizing he's not as Light as he's been pretending,"_ said the Gray Lady.

" _There's also the matter of the dementors that breached the wards. He still hasn't found the source of the breach, and it angers him,"_ added Nick.

"Actually that was my fault. I summoned some of the lower Nobodies and it apparently registered as these... _dementors_... to the wards."

Every ghost turned to stare at her, shocked. Finally, Nick spoke.

" _You... you can command the silver beasts known as Nobodies?"_ he said slowly.

"They know me. They recognize me as one of them, because for a long time I was."

" _Prove it,"_ said the Bloody Baron.

While they were outside the normal routes, as proud members of the lingering dead, they still heard rumors.

The group known as _Organization XIII_ could travel through corridors made of pure darkness, solely because they were protected by their black coats.

Xion managed to stand, and open up a corridor on the arm rest of the chair. That was enough to convinced them, especially when she walked into it and poked her head out.

" _So the girl who lived is a Nobody,"_ said the Baron. It explained a lot.

"Actually I'm not Titania Potter. The infant died the night of the attack, and I was asked if I wanted to take her place so that her soul and heart could be sent on to Kingdom Hearts along with her parents. It was too sad that the infant died, so I said yes," admitted Xion. It was something she had been hiding for years.

To her surprise, the Bloody Baron shook his head.

" _The goblins acknowledged you as Titania Potter, so by the laws of magic, you are her. While your soul might have been someone else before, the heart does not lie. However this does present an opportunity. You are uniquely suited to ending the false phoenix once and for all. Albus Dumbledore will be too busy trying to find out where it has gone to bother going after you, at least for a while. Especially if you dispose of it on another world,"_ said the Baron.

It was a sound plan. Albus _needed_ "Fawkes" to keep up the belief he was a wizard of the Light. If the bird suddenly disappeared, and something happened, it would shake that belief among the people he had bewitched.

Especially if he started to make questionable actions.

It wasn't until Tania left the room that she found out the hard way she had stayed talking too late.

She was busted by the worst person possible for being out after curfew.

Professor McGonagall.

* * *

"HOW? How in the name of magic did _you_ of all people lose fifty points in a single go?!" said Hannah baffled.

Tania almost shrunk into herself at the stares of the entire house.

"McGonagall caught me out after curfew. She said I 'flouted the rules' too often for her to let it go, so she took fifty points and said I had a weeks worth of detentions," said Tania.

"Flouted the rules my ever changing ass! You're one of the few students who always behaves, and almost never breaks even the lesser rules! Besides, the most I've ever heard being taken for getting caught being outside after curfew is thirty, and that's when Snape or Filch busts you!" said Tonks hotly. This wasn't right!

"Yeah, it's not like you helped Hagrid try to raise a baby dragon or anything!" said Hannah.

"What?"

"Oh, it's all over the school. Hagrid won a dragon's egg over the holidays and was fool enough to try and raise it in his _wooden_ hut. Nearly set the entire house on fire, and they failed to catch the infant who fled into the forest," said Susan. "Aunt Amelia was _furious_ , because the headmaster managed to keep him from getting anything more than fines simply because he's the Supreme Mugwump of the Wizangamot."

He also managed to stop any chance of them inspecting the castle, to see if Hagrid had any other...pets...that violated the laws of what wizards were allowed to own.

"...Why a dragon though?"

"Everyone knows he's always wanted one. Couldn't resist I suppose," said Tonks. "Speaking of weird and potentially dangerous pets, has anyone else heard barking from the third floor?"

" _Barking_?" repeated Susan.

"Yeah, I had to take a side hallway because the stairs changed without warning, and I ended up on the third floor. Was passing the forbidden room when I heard something that sounded an awful lot like a dog barking loudly. More than one, in fact," said Tonks. If she hadn't been almost late to class, she might have tried to find the source.


	9. End of Year Exams

Tania checked the corridors. It was empty and so was the room she was going into. Professor Flitwick had written her a pass stating she could practice as much as she wanted on the piano in the music room, provided it wasn't after curfew or during class. Considering this was the weekend, and there wasn't any class, she decided now was the perfect time to try and recreate a song she had saved on her new music player.

She didn't get as many presents as Dudley, but what she got was usually more to her tastes and she took excellent care of it. Shadow turned out to be a fountain of knowledge when it came to shielding electronic devices from 'magical' interference, as well as finding a way to charge them without needing an outlet.

A simple generator powered by a trapped "Thundara" spell kept all her devices charged without overloading them.

She left the door open so she could hear if anyone came in, and opened up the keys. Once she was situated on the bench, she did a practice run to warm up.

That done, she started to play, going by the sound of the music she had listened to repeatedly for over a week at night, to get the song right.

Once she had the sound right, she began to sing so that she remembered how it was supposed to go.

" _What will I embrace?_

 _In the shadows of desire_

 _I abandon ideals drenched in pain_

 _It's like this is another world_

 _Even so it is the truth_

 _I will protect you with these stained hands_

 _As I gaze at stars I can't grasp_

 _Now I will brandish a glinting dream in the darkness_

 _So that it will shine down on our overlapping lives_

 _With the strength I have chosen some day I will arrive_

 _Believing that place to be paradise_

 _The hope that is our bond is connecting us to the future_

 _Let's overcome our unhealing sorrow_

 _Unafraid that they'll be broken my full emotions_

 _Are simply waiting for the dawn_

 _What am I losing?_

 _As my awakened Heart_

 _Betrays yesterday's justice_

 _Feels like I'm drowning in an imaginary landscape_

 _At the end of love I will live together with you_

 _As I search for a misty star_

 _Now I will release a dream of glory into the sky_

 _So that our Hearts resounding with each another may reach_

 _I'm screaming that the moment that two wishes become one is a miracle_

 _If that violently blowing wind stands in the way of the future_

 _I will cut through it with unwavering courage_

 _I'm simply reaching out my hand to you_

 _From the other side of the door that is closed each time we're together_

 _Now I will brandish a glinting dream in the darkness_

 _So that it will shine down on our overlapping lives_

 _With the strength I have chosen some day I will arrive_

 _Believing that place to be paradise_

 _The hope that is our bond is connecting us to the future_

 _Let's overcome our unhealing sorrow_

 _Unafraid they will be broken my full emotions_

 _Are simply waiting for the dawn."_

(The translated opening theme lyrics to "Another Heaven" from Fate/Stay Night _Heaven's Feel_ for PS Vita.)

It wasn't until she opened her eyes, having been so absorbed in her playing that she noticed something.

The Nobodies had gathered around her to hear her play. That or her voice attracted them.

"So you like music? You can stay, just keep out of sight, okay?" she told them.

The Dusks chattered at her, which she took to mean agreement. The Nobodies gathered up in the rafters to hear her play more.

So Xion recreated songs that caught her interest that had piano music in it for them. Sometimes she even sang along with the songs, which seemed to make the Nobodies really happy.

She noticed the sun going down, so she finished the last song and closed the lid on the keys. She looked up at the Nobodies gathered above her and said "I'll look into adding a piano to the castle, so be patient, alright?"

The collective Nobodies dispersed back to the Castle That Never Was, and Tania hid a smile when she saw the teachers scrambling to find the 'rogue' dementors that slipped through the wards again.

Considering this was the second time, and Susan had mentioned it previously to her aunt, it was unsurprising that the inspection immediately drew concerned parents to the castle in droves.

Tania _barely_ avoided laughing when she realized that the inspection had the unintended consequence of calling the wards into question. So much so that Dumbledore had no choice but to allow ward masters in to try and fix whatever holes were in place, because dementors were one of the few things the Ministry took seriously...and the fact that they had broken through not once, but twice made even the Minister panic at the thought of them so close to the children.

Children who were _heirs_ to the very people who kept him in office. People who would be very irate and withdraw funding at the first hint of him not taking the issue seriously.

He liked his padded check. He wasn't about to risk it just to keep Dumbledore happy.

Realizing a chance to really distract the old man, Tania made a point to summon the Nobodies to lay pranks all over the school at random, tripping the wards even more. The Dusks and other lower Nobodies were more than happy to cause mischief.

So much so that McGonagall and other supporters of the headmaster were too busy running around like headless chickens to bother her or notice that Tania was slowly gathering an army of like-minded students.

It was so bad that she was saddled with Snape for detention because Hagrid was busy trying to locate the problem. That plus the deaths of the unicorns meant he couldn't keep an eye on Tania.

It was payback time for the Gryffindors, and Tania was enjoying every minute of it. Here her friends were gathering a secret army of people sick of their nonsense, and yet Tania was able to get her revenge using creatures that were mistaken for _dementors_ while simultaneously driving the teachers crazy trying to find them!

Still, knowing the headmaster was behind their behavior meant she didn't feel any guilt running everyone ragged, or for making life a little more difficult for the Gryffindors who had been nothing but rude.

Meanwhile Tania was continuing her everyday life as a student, hiding under the radar. She was still weak, and she had yet to fully train her magic back up to what she considered 'standard'. It didn't help that her magic seemed to gravitate towards the keyblade shard in her wand, and felt like it wanted to warp in response.

Until she found the rest of the keyblade, her magic would be iffy at best when using a wand.

Hence why she was beyond thrilled that the wards didn't detect the use of the Corridor, since it meant she could do her own laundry without spells. She also made a point to restock the kitchen and only show up to meals so she could chat with her friends and pretend to eat.

She filled up before hand just in case. If the house elves could be ordered to steal her things, then they might be just as capable of putting something in her food. Her friends all believed she had a bird's appetite with how little she ate. It didn't help that she stocked up on fruits and vegetables that were grown on other worlds.

* * *

Tania looked up to find Tonks grinning at her.

"So how goes the studying for the ickle firsties?"

"Granger is a slave driver with a whip and lemon juice. The only reason she lays off Tania is because her grades are better than hers, even though her control is wonky. Well, outside of household charms anyway," groaned Hannah.

"Actually I've been cheating when it comes to my laundry," admitted Tania. "I _hate_ wearing wet clothes."

"It's not like you've got access to a washing machine or anything," joked Tonks.

Tania was silent. Tonks stared at her.

"You have access to a functioning washing machine and a dryer. And you didn't offer to share?"

"What's a washing machine?" said Susan confused.

"A mundane device used to wash clothes, and a dryer dries them out in minutes rather than hours. As for why I didn't share...well, I didn't want to end up doing the folding of someone else's laundry," said Tania.

"Okay, I'll concede that point. Especially if it was a boy's laundry," said Tonks.

"So... anyone have any idea why the teachers keep running around like their head is cut off?" asked Susan, changing the subject.

"Okay, we're not supposed to say anything but apparently the so-called 'dementors' that keep tripping the wards have been pranking the Gryffindors."

Two of the three stared at her.

"Really," said Hannah, interest peaked.

"Apparently there have been reports of ghosts managing to leave pranks all over Gryffindor tower, and Nick has had to set up a patrol just to find out the source. It's been driving McGonagall and the headmaster nuts, because every time these figures appear the wards get tripped...and yet everyone is still in possession of their soul," said Tonks in what she thought was a creepy voice. It made Tania snort in amusement.

She had a fairly good idea of what was going on.

Odds were Nick had recognized the Nobodies for what they were, and had reached a sort of agreement with them. So long as they didn't target the students and kept to playing harmless pranks, they wouldn't tell the teachers what was really going on.

They tolerated Peeves and his annoying pranks, so they could turn a blind eye to the mischief of the Dusks. Especially since it was serving the double purpose of driving the headmaster batty since he couldn't figure out the source and the teachers were worried about dementors.

"Your 'scary' voice needs work. You're about as terrifying as Jack Skellington," deadpanned Tania.

" _Nightmare Before Christmas_?" said Tonks.

"Disney fan?" countered Tania. Tonks nodded, grinning. "Have you played _Kingdom Hearts_?"

"No, but I heard great reviews about it."

"Hermione sent her sister a picture of us and she said that I looked a lot like one of the characters from the series."

"Really? Which one?"

"Kairi, the last Princess of the Heart," said Tania with a straight face.

It was weird talking about it like it didn't involve her, but she had learned to get used to it.

"Cool. Which reminds me, how far have you gotten with..."

Tania grinned, as she promptly turned into a female version of Axel, and then turned into Roxas.

"Good, but you should watch out when it comes to changing into guys. I once spent a month as 'Nathaniel' Tonks until I could figure out how to switch back, and it hurt like hell."

"I know, but I haven't hit puberty yet so it shouldn't be too bad."

"True."

"I can't wait till summer! Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon are going to be adopting a pair of twins once they're born!" said Tania.

"Why are they adopting?" asked Tonks, curious.

"Aunt Petunia couldn't have any more children because of Dudley. So they had to adopt...or to be more specific she wanted more than one child and Vernon agreed to go through the process just to shut her up."

Tania felt somewhat sorry for Vernon. While Petunia agreed to deal with most of the worst parts of having the two infants in the house, he was in for a lot of sleepless nights.

Whereas Tania and Dudley had the sense to leave the house for days on end to avoid being woken up in the middle of the night.

"Didn't you say that your guardians were renovating the house?" saioppd Susan.

"They wanted to buy a bigger one, but someone always bought it before they could, or the price was too high for them to afford. So they settled for the next best thing, which was adding on to the house...besides, it gives them an excuse to add a sun room."

Adding that meant they could hold fancier dinner parties. Fancy parties meant a higher chance of promotion for Vernon. And that meant he was in a better mood overall.

Tania made a face.

"There was also talk of getting a dog."

"Dogs are cute!" said Susan. Hannah nodded in agreement.

"Not when you're getting one from your 'other' aunt who runs a breeding operation for bulldogs. Don't get me wrong, I do like dogs, but Ripper is an absolute menace, and my aunt Petunia _hates_ it when Aunt Marge brings him. But Uncle Vernon likes dogs and it was part of the compromise that he made with my aunt for the twins. She gets the kids, he gets a dog."

"Seriously?" said Hannah incredulous.

"She made it clear she didn't want any pets, and she barely tolerates Ripper. And Marge would likely be more than happy to give her brother a dog for free, or at least at a discount," said Tania, making a face.

She liked dogs, but anything from Marge was sure to be mean.

"What sort of dogs does she breed?" asked Susan.

"English Bulldogs. Ripper once tried to chase me up a tree and Marge would have let him, except Petunia was quick to get a broom and chase him off."

And that was only because she was down and determined to adopt more children, which would be hard if they thought for a moment that she let a dog chase her niece up a tree and didn't at least try to stop it.

"So any ideas what we're going to have to do for our end of year exams?"

"Oh they're pretty easy for firsties. It's mostly an overview of what you've learned, thought in your case Tania you might want to practice a bit more. Your control is still wonky."

"I know and I also know why despite the fact that it was the best match," said Tania. She couldn't wait to find the rest of the keyblade, because the wand contained a small fraction of it.

* * *

"I always heard end of the year exams were frightful. But they were rather enjoyable," said Hermione.

"Speak for yourself Granger. You're the demon who kept nagging us to study, as if they'd put everything we learned in the year on a single test for first years just learning magic," said Hannah tiredly.

"I heard the exams don't get that tough until _fifth_ year. And I swear to Merlin if you think of putting us through this again next year you are so going to be pranked!" said Susan, lightly beating Granger on the head with a book.

"I guess I did go a little overboard. It just that I've never had friends who were willing to study with me before."

"It wasn't that bad," said Neville. Being around Tania, who didn't let _anyone_ bully him had made his stutter more or less disappear. Even if he did use her as a shield more often than not.

"Neville, if Tania didn't find a way to calm down Granger I have no doubts it would have been worse," said Susan flatly.

"Enough of that. How about we talk about other things? Like the mysterious barking of the third floor?"

"Mysterious barking?" repeated Hermione.

"Apparently Tonks heard a few dogs barking on the third floor when she was forced to take a different route to class," said Susan.

"Strange. The only dog I've seen in this school is Fang," said Hermione.

"You actually _go_ to Hagrid's house?" said Tania.

"He's a perfectly nice man, and he doesn't discriminate."

"Hermione, he might honestly believe that the sun shines out of Dumbledore's arse. I'm not about to go to his house without back up including at least one teacher, no matter how nice he seems. And that's not because it's blatantly obvious he's half giant," said Tania flatly.

"Why don't you like Dumbledore?" asked Hermione.

"Let me put it this way. Have you bothered to look at the magical advancements before Dumbledore? I've looked, and it seems to me that after a certain point any progress made in the magical communities seems to stagnate, while the number of first generation magicals _leaving_ for better jobs rose by twenty percent, and it's been steadily getting worst until it peaked at twenty-five percent or higher...and this was all _before_ You-Know-Who rose to power and went on his murdering sprees," said Tania.

Susan, Hannah, Neville and Hermione stared at her.

"Where did you get that?"

"Owled the Ministry, why? They have departments for practically _everything_ , and if you ask the right one you can get any information you like, if it's within reason."

"You're joking," said Hermione.

"They have such a thing as a Senior Undersecretary to the Minister, for magic's sake. And the woman who holds that has had that position for more than ten years with no attempts to advance," deadpanned Tania.

"You mean Delores Umbridge," said Susan, recognizing the title.

"The same witch who's kept those with creature inheritances down and has made it her personal mission to make lives difficult to people who only turn dangerous _once_ a month, and that's for a few days. People who would be just as happy locking themselves away from others while they're transformed," said Tania annoyed.

"You mean werewolves."

"You know Hermione, if you want a long-term project, how about finding a way to make things more fair for werewolves? I mean I heard a couple of decades ago they actually let a werewolf student in and he graduated with honors as a prefect," said Tania. "His name was Lupin, I think."

And she knew exactly who he was. He used to visit _her_ parents back when the original Titania Potter was alive.


	10. The Gauntlet on the Third Floor

A small figure snuck into the hallway. She was bored, and her friends were currently enamored with a recently enchanted version of Monopoly, or what she assumed was the magical version made by someone with _some_ intelligence to modify the game to suit the magical communities. Hannah was a very enthusiastic dragon, having called dibs the _second_ someone mentioned the game.

Had anyone looked at the figure (well, outside of the ghosts) they would have identified it rather quickly as Tania Potter.

The girl managed to get to the third floor with ease. She heard from a rather irate Ronald Weasley that the door wasn't even protected right, because a simple unlocking charm opened it. He had gotten on her nerves before she could find out what was behind it, but the basic gist was a dog in the room. A big dog.

Xion used her keyblade to open the door, took one look, and her eyes widened in disbelief.

What the hell was Hades' _dog_ doing in a SCHOOL?!

And this _was_ Hades' dog.

Cerberus sniffed the air, and growled.

Xion made a choice. This poor thing was stuck in a room that was barely enlarged big enough for it to move. Why not give it someplace it could roam without having to put up with Hades' temper tantrums?

Xion dispersed her keyblade, hoping she was right.

She walked up to the growling dog and said "Here boy. Come here."

The growling didn't go away, but it didn't try to eat her either. Xion wasn't afraid of animals, and if worse came to worse she'd summon the Dusks to distract it while she made a run for it.

Once she had a hand on the dog's middle head, and started scratching the ears, it went from aggressive to lap dog.

"Oh you poor thing. I bet Hades didn't even bother to play with you at all, did he? And you've been cooped up in this room for all year," said Xion with sympathy.

Cerberus whined, but made it clear he didn't want to go back to Hades.

"How about I take you someplace else? Someplace you can romp around as much as you want and still act as the guard dog? You don't have to put up with Hades or be stuck in this cramped room. And I'm sure I could find something for you to chase and eat," said Xion.

Cerberus looked at her, before licking her in the face.

Xion opened an extra large Corridor of Darkness, and Cerberus started walking until the tail disappeared. Once he was in the World That Never Was, he howled and started running around. Hagrid was nice, but he allowed that bearded pawn to keep him locked up for hours on end with no real breaks. The Nobodies took little notice of him, since it was clear Xion had sent him.

With the dog gone, her curiosity was peaked. What on earth were they hiding down here?

She opened the trap door, and dropped down.

"FIRA!" she shouted, recognizing the plant.

The plant went up in flames, and she shuddered. She wasn't even twelve, but she knew about "that". There was only one person she'd even consider it with, once puberty hit her, and it wasn't some plant.

She walked past the ashes of the plant, and paused when she heard someone running above her. She found an alcove and threw her hood up, hiding in the Corridor to find out who was there.

She heard a thump, and saw... Quirrel? What was he doing here? He seemed annoyed at the hard landing, but moved like he had been here before.

Something about him seemed off, so she followed him. Her ability to sneaking was better than most, considering she had performed recon on much more alert targets. He clearly thought whoever killed the plant was _ahead_ of him, not behind.

Seeing him hang back, thinking that the student or teacher was still ahead, Xion decided to have some fun with him, if only to get to the bottom of this.

She found some rocks near a massive chess set, and made sure to toss them behind her to where she last saw Quirrel.

Hearing him turn, she also heard the voice of someone else. Someone very close to where Quirrel was. And that made her suspicious.

She got through the next two challenges easily, but hung back once she was through the flames by hiding in the corridor again.

Quirrel was quick to follow her, and was naturally confused when he saw no one there. From her position in the corridor, she could see the ornate mirror perfectly well without having to expose herself.

She saw herself, Roxas and Axel eating sea-salt ice cream like they used to...but when her double met her eyes, she took her free hand to reach behind her...and reveal a red gem. It was placed in her left hand pocket, and something told Xion to leave. She fled down the corridor, unseen by Quirrel or whatever he was, and to the Castle That Never Was. She left the stone in her room, before making it look like she had come from the library by bringing a book she had borrowed with her.

* * *

"So how was the library?" asked Susan, looking up from the game.

"I think I'll avoid libraries. I had flashbacks of Hermione's insane study guides," said Tania, mock shuddering. That set off some laughter, but no one questions where she had been or why she still had the book. Obviously she didn't want to go in after a flashback.

* * *

Quirrel was found dead the next morning, not that the staff was open about that fact. They alluded to it, but said he had taken a 'permanent leave of absence'.

Whatever he had done to himself had come back to visit him big time.

Tania kept her best poker face up as the teacher scrambled to find the dog, and whatever that gem was. She didn't know or care what it was (she would find out later from Shadow when she showed it to him) only that Dumbledore was running around more than usual.

The student gossiped on what happened, but only she had any real idea. So naturally she threw her own outlandish theories around to confuse the issue.

It was on her way to the outside of the train platform that lead to the 'mundane' part of the station that she got a call.

" _Tania, I hate to say this but you might want to ask one of your friends if you can stay with them for a week. The renovation took longer than expected, and Dudley has already had to schedule a few sleepovers,"_ said Petunia, sounding rather haggard.

Tania didn't think about it twice. She walked out of the platform, pretending to ask Hermione if she could stay, and told her aunt "Susan said I could stay with her for a few days, and odds are Hannah wouldn't mind putting me up after that. Unfortunately they're out of cell tower range, but I'll see if they have some magical way of dropping me off near the London Museum."

Petunia let out a sigh of relief.

" _I'm still surprised that the school is within range."_

"From what I heard, one of the first gens set up a cell tower in hopes of annoying the headmaster. So anyone who can get their cell to work can use that to contact their families," said Tania cheerfully. Which wasn't entirely true, but it was good enough.

" _Stay safe and call me when you're about to enter London or within range of a tower,"_ said Petunia.

"I will auntie."

This was the perfect opportunity to visit Merlin. And check up on Cerberus. She ducked out of sight before Hermione spotted her, which would ruin _everything_ if she found out that Tania was going off the grid for a week or so.

Once out of the corridor (having checked up on things in the World That Never Was...and finding out that Cerberus apparently knew how to travel through something similar, because he was feeding himself and perfectly content to guard the castle... Xion decided to visit the one place she thought might have a piano, since she had checked the castle and never found one.

Castle Oblivion.

It took her an hour, but she did locate a white piano. She could only guess Naminé or someone had added it purely for aesthetic value, since it had never been played. It had taken some of the bigger Nobodies to move it through the corridor (mentally she made note of which ones in case she had to redecorate), but the main thing was she had something to practice on.

She even found some of the drawings Naminé made. Some of which made her scowl, because they only showed her old self as a figure in a cloak.

Once she had completed the theft, she made her way to Radiant Garden. It used to be Hollow Bastion, but Merlin and Cid changed it back.

She walked through the streets, completely ignoring the heartless around her. At least until she spotted Leon and the others. They were the only ones likely to know where to find Merlin.

So she flipped her hood on her jacket up, obscuring her features, and walked up to them.

"I'm here to see Merlin. He should be expecting me," said Tania.

Leon's eyes narrowed at her.

"I don't recall Merlin saying he had an appointment with a Nobody," he said coldly.

" _Who are you calling a nobody, kupo! She has a name, kupo!"_ said a belligerent Shadow.

"You followed me Shadow?"

" _I needed to pick up specialty parts from Cid, kupo. He should have my order ready for a new Gummi ship, kupo,"_ said Shadow, sitting on her shoulder.

Leon stared at the odd scene.

"Well if a Moogle likes you enough to show up in person and let you call him by name, then you can't be all bad," said Leon. He noted with amusement that the Moogle let the girl hold him like a doll, rather than float after her.

Upon seeing the cloaked figure, Merlin quickly jumped up.

"Ah, Titania! You're earlier than I expected. I didn't think you'd get here until later in the summer!"

"It's Tania. And my aunt asked if I could avoid the house for a week, so I thought I might as well come here and get an early start."

"You know this girl?" asked Leon.

Tania removed her hood, revealing her original form with black hair and blue eyes.

"She's a student at a school I founded that's doing some investigation for me," said Merlin.

"Tania Potter," she said, holding out her hand.

"Leon. You're not part of Organization XIII are you?"

"I had a minor...disagreement...shall we say, with the leader. I left and haven't looked back, though I am still trying to find some of my friends if they survived," said Xion honestly.

"Most if not all of them are dead," Leon informed her.

"Some might have survived. I went back to the castle and found that a rather large Nobody had driven off Maleficent," said Xion.

Leon stared.

"A _Nobody_ drove off that dragon?"

"I haven't seen one scale of Maleficent in the Castle That Never Was since I took over, and I've been going to and from it regularly. Besides, I think she would have objected to having Hades' pet dog running around."

All of this said with a perfectly straight face. Merlin hid a chuckle.

"...You know what, I don't want to know."

Xion giggled.

"So are you ready to start your apprenticeship in magic?"

"I need to work on my control. The wand I bought might match me, but it's been acting rather wonky when it comes time to cast," said Xion.

Merlin cheerfully took Xion into another room with the door left open, while Shadow started haggling with Cid over some parts for his old Gummi Ship.

While it was easier to use the corridor, it was extremely awkward explaining why he had Nobodies carrying his packages for him. And Xion didn't seem to mind if he tinkered or made the room smell strange.

He was still baffled over where she found an almost perfect copy of a Philosopher's stone that almost worked like it should. It wasn't the real thing of course, because no human could possibly come close on that world, but it was close enough.

She didn't have to worry about paying for his potion supplied anymore at least. The idiot wizards couldn't tell the difference between alchemically made gold and the real thing, and he wasn't going to be bothered by the thought of basically swindling the magicals.

* * *

The three fairies were beyond appalled at Xion's outfit. She hadn't bothered to switch out of her school uniform, as she had intended to only remove her coat to pass for a normal girl.

However it wasn't exactly flattering, nor did it work very well as a battle outfit.

A few good attacks, and it would be less than ideal for protecting her modesty.

So like they did for Sora, they gave her a new look. All of them arguing over which one suited her best.

"Blue!"

"Pink!"

"Green!"

Xion looked rather adorable in the dress, but it didn't really suit her.

"Um... I like purple and blue," she offered.

Eventually they settled on a style that suited her, but she didn't mind letting them try out new ideas with their magic. After all, what was the fun of having only one battle outfit? The magicals on that world certainly didn't know how to make them, and ordering one would only draw suspicion.

Xion suddenly blinked. She had no idea what that world was called.

"Master Merlin, what is that world called anyway?"

"Lost Avalon," he replied, not looking up from his search.

"Ah! Here we are! The most basic of basics!" said Merlin, pulling out a book.

Xion took one look at the book and face palmed.

"I know how to cast magic without a wand, it's _with_ the one I have that I'm having trouble."

"Oh? Let's see it then," said Merlin.

She pointed it at a stain on the tablecloth and used a charm she had become intimately familiar with.

" _Scourgify,"_ said Xion, and she could feel the magic trying to warp. She reigned it in, and the stain disappeared.

"Hmm, hmm, hmm. What an odd spell. I certainly never taught my students to use a made up language. And I can see what you meant by trouble with the wand. While it suits your magic, it's incomplete and is straining to become part of a whole," said Merlin.

"I think they just modified Latin and altered it to suit their needs," said Xion.

"What is the wand made out of?"

"I forgot about what the wood is, but the core is a fragment of a broken keyblade."

"And there's where the problem is. A keyblade is not meant to be used as a wand core."

"I know, but it was better than using phoenix feather, dragon heartstring or unicorn tail, which was the only available options in the main stream wand shop," said Xion.

"Well let's see if we can't find you a better core."

In the end they had to substitute a Light Crystal for the keyblade fragment. It worked much better, though she kept the fragment in hopes of finding the rest.


	11. Return home and Dobby

It was a good thing Shadow had a habit of staying close to where she was (when he was allowed), because he reminded her of the fact she was due back on Lost Avalon.

Tania called ahead, then walked right into the busiest mall in London. Once she had some new things, after disguising herself as Kairi, (she promptly hid them in her closet in the Castle That Never Was), she went straight to the London Museum and waited. She didn't have to wait on the steps long.

Petunia had Vernon drive her there, and she looked relieved to see Tania.

"Did you have fun at your friend's house?"

"It was interesting."

Tania chose where she 'stayed' carefully. Petunia couldn't call to confirm she had the sleepovers, and she didn't want to explain about the fact she was off world.

She even had Shadow in her bag.

"Well the renovation is mostly done. They just need to touch up the paint on the house. Want to see your new room?"

"New room?" repeated Tania, perking up.

"The bedroom beside Dudley is far too cramped for a growing girl, so we're turning it into the nursery. I had them paint the walls to look like the beach, so you can post your sea shells on the walls later. And the closest is much bigger," said Petunia conspiratorially.

"I'm sensing a shopping spree in our future."

"You're sensing right. We'll have to take the twins and go clothes shopping," said Petunia, winking at her. "But for now we'll head home."

Tania got into the car, almost feeling guilty about the fact that she lied to her aunt.

It was definitely bigger than her old room. Hearing the familiar sound of an infant crying, Tania went into her old room and found a pair of infants. One boy and one girl.

"What are their names?"

"The boy's name is Ryan, and the girl's name is Karin. Their mother named them."

The boy could have passed for a brown haired Riku, and the girl could have been Kairi's double, just with reddish brown hair.

Tania picked up Karin and rocked her so that she would stop crying. The infant gurgled, but she did stop. Petunia looked relieved.

"They don't seem to take to me quite so quickly," she admitted. But it was better than when Vernon held them.

"If you leave me some bottles and tell me how long to warm them, I could help fed them during the night. I'll probably be up doing my homework anyway, so why not help you sleep?" said Tania.

Which was another lie. She had already finished her summer homework...which had Merlin despairing at the lack of subjects and how far his school had fallen. He was almost tempted to come back, except the pawn currently pretending to be Dumbledore would recognize him and get rid of him.

It had surprised Tania to learn that shortly before the defeat of Grindlewald, Dumbledore had made an arrangement with the Darkness, unaware of what it actually was. As a result, it overtook him and eventually cost him his life. He was a mere shell that kept the identity of "Albus Dumbledore".

And his twin brother Aberworth wondered why his brother was such a die hard believer of the false "greater good", or why their relationship as brothers had disappeared after his twin became famous.

Then again, he was one of the few who realized Fawkes might not be what he seemed, and chose to set up shop near the school to try and help his brother anyway.

Petunia eyed her shrewdly.

"You can play your games so long as I don't hear them and you never stay up later than three."

"Deal," said Tania.

"You also have to sleep in some nights. I don't want you getting used to staying up so late."

"They make us stay up until three anyway for Astronomy on Wednesdays," said Tania. "And the telescopes they have us buy aren't very good either. You can barely see anything."

"We'll see about getting you a better one later."

"So did Uncle Vernon say what sort of dog he was planning to get?"

"He's still quibbling over price with Marge."

"Why doesn't he just go to a shelter and adopt one? Wouldn't that be cheaper, and you can guarantee that they've at least had their shots and have already been fixed."

Petunia got a glint in her eye.

"How about this. We'll go to the shelter later and find one _we_ like and adopt it without telling him. That way he can't complain about not having a dog," said Petunia.

"Is it alright if they sleep in my room?"

"You'll clean up after it and do the laundry?"

"I have to do my own laundry anyway, remember?" said Tania annoyed at the memory.

Petunia scowled.

"I trust that issue has been taken care of?"

"Well either they took the hint, or I haven't given them a chance to take them once I got them back. They have charms that wash clothes that I've become very proficient at, and I keep my own room clean so they're not allowed. The bathroom is shared, so I keep my things with me when I leave."

Petunia was disgusted that her niece had to resort to such measures.

* * *

 _Four days before her birthday..._

Tania was a bit annoyed. All summer she had been in contact with Hermione, but none of her other friends. Hermione got regular letters, but for some reason all of hers never went through. She had even used the corridor to get to Diagon and hired someone through the goblins to see if there were any mail wards around her house.

The muggleborn they hired (at her request, because she had seen how pure bloods dressed around normal people) didn't find any mail wards, but he did find a barely sustained blood ward and some failing ones meant to keep those inside safe.

Petunia wasn't happy, but she managed to put aside her distaste for magic when the muggleborn replaced the barely acceptable wards with ones that were considered standard for all residences around purely mundane areas.

Of course he had to get clearance from the Ministry, but that was more of a formality than anything.

A ward against pretty much any mishap that might befall a normal home...from fire all the way to those entering the home with malicious intent.

What the woman even added a ward also protected the occupants from each other. If the husband came home with intent to do harm to the rest of the family, he wouldn't be able to come inside unless he cooled down. Considering Vernon could get violent when he was drunk and feeling angry, Petunia didn't comment on it.

But the fact remained, Tania _still_ didn't get any letters, and was only able to contact Hermione through the phone.

After she learned that Hermione got regular letters, she started visiting her house personally to pick up her mail.

She was beginning to suspect the interference of a house elf.

Petunia was going to play bridge with some of the women on the street, Arabella Figg had been removed during the renovations to the house (arrested for suspicious dealings and the fact she hadn't paid taxes, despite owning a home and having no job), and Dudley was hanging out with his school friends who still lived on his block.

Which meant Tania had the house to herself, though she planned to visit Merlin once she got this settled with.

She was still getting up to what the old wizard considered standard for a beginning student. He despaired at how far the school had fallen.

Which was why she was going to call out whoever was stealing her mail.

The house was empty. No one would be here for hours and there was no reason for anyone to show up.

"Alright, whomever is taking my mail, show yourself!"

At first there was silence, then she heard the unwanted and familiar sound of a house elf appearing.

The thing looked pitiful. Not even the Hogwarts elves looked this bad.

"Who are you and why have you been taking my mail?" asked Tania, hands on her hips.

"I is Dobby. Dobby the house elf. I don't know where to start," said Dobby, nervously.

"The beginning is usually the best place. Why don't you sit down and tell me why you felt the need to steal my mail?"

That must have been the wrong thing to say, because Dobby started bawling. It was a good thing she chose to do this when everyone was out.

It took her two very long minutes to calm Dobby down long enough to get him to talk.

Apparently it was worse than she thought. Dobby's masters were abusive, and they often reminded him to punish himself _more_ than he deserved. And they had something nefarious planned for the school.

The reason Dobby stole her mail was because his master was a 'former' Death Eater, and he feared for her safety.

Tania could feel a migraine coming on.

"Dobby, is your family related to the Black family by any chance?" she asked tiredly.

"Dobby's Mistress is a Black," said Dobby.

Which made his masters the Malfoy family. Wonderful.

"I may have a way to that would benefit us both. It would keep the Hogwarts elves far from my room, and get you out of a bad home."

"Lady Potter doesn't like house elves?" said Dobby, eyes tearing up.

"I dislike the fact that they're under the control of a pawn that is firmly controlled by the Darkness," she corrected. "He tried to have my things taken from me because I promoted actual light, not the false one he created to hide his true nature. Ever since I've banned house elves from my room."

Hufflepuff allowed individual rooms, mostly because of the fact that the roster for each year was so low. The new crop might have to double up, but for now Tania had her own room.

"Dumblydore is dark?" said Dobby, shocked.

"Dobby, there is a Darkness which seeks to devour this world and gain a foothold against the other worlds. The heartless are already bad enough to deal with, without adding this mess on top of it. So I'm going to topple the empire it's been building and hopefully lay the ground work for the good guys to rebuild from."

"Lady Potter knows about that which should never be spoken of?!" said Dobby, shocked.

"Never be spoken of? You mean there are heartless on this world as well, despite the keyhole being sealed for centuries?!" said Tania, horrified.

If there were heartless here, that meant that the keyhole might have been loosened up enough for the darkness to devour the world wholesale. It must have happened when Sora and his friends went to save the Princesses, or when Kingdom Hearts was almost used by the Darkness. The situation was worse than she assumed.

"We need to speak to Master Merlin about this. Maybe he can even remove the servant bond you have as payment for this information...but it might be a little uncomfortable for you."

She would have to borrow one of Shadow's coats, but it would be worth it if it meant getting rid of the heartless.

* * *

Merlin rubbed his beard.

"This is quite a problem. I was unaware that the keyhole had been partially opened enough for heartless to make their way back to Lost Avalon. And you say your master intends to unleash something on the school?"

Dobby nodded, still somewhat shaken by his trip through the corridor.

"Well if he's one of those fools who put stock in Salazar's research, then he intends to unleash the odd Nobody that Salazar sealed in that silly chamber of his."

"Wait... Salazar Slytherin had a _Nobody_ and sealed it in a chamber?!" said Xion, horrified.

"He was researching heartless and their counterparts, the Nobodies. At some point his pet basilisk was attacked by his research subject and you can guess the rest. He sealed up his pet's Nobody so he could look for the heartless it became, in the hopes of restoring his pet snake," said Merlin sadly.

"I'm guessing he failed. The books all claim he was chased out of the castle because he didn't want first generation magicals to learn magic," said Tania.

"I didn't say he failed. He found the heartless by process of elimination. However he died before he could return to Hogwarts and his children never inherited his ability to use the keyblade. His last words were if someone were to free his pet snake from the curse of being a Nobody, they would inherit all his titles and his keyblade, which was hidden inside his chamber."

"And what about Dobby? Can you remove the servant bond he has on him? I would really like my mail...and to know if there's a way to trick the wizards into releasing the others," said Tania. The less she had to worry about house elves, the better.

"I'm afraid that you'll have to use the 'official' method of releasing him from his bond. However I would recommend that you trick his master into handing over his contract to you instead. Releasing the brownies might cause too big a stir," chided Merlin.

Tania pouted, before an idea occurred to her.

"Dobby, if you can give me back my mail and allow me to receive it, I might have a way to convince Narcissa to hand over the contract."

What better way to broach the subject of possibly 'getting' a house elf than to open up communication with one of her cousins? Tonks had said that Narcissa was related to her grandmother, Dorea Black.

If she phrased it as trying to know her father's extended family, starting with the Blacks, she might be able to gain an ally.

Besides, that way she wouldn't have to worry about buddying up to Draco, who was a bigger brat than Dudley.

"Dobby won't have to go through the dark place again, will he?"

"I'm afraid so, but I won't force you to go through it again after that," said Tania sympathetically.

"Then Dobby will endure it."


	12. Diagon and the Howler of Mrs Weasley

Tania didn't want to get an owl, so she borrowed Merlin's friend Archimedes. He was quite bored, and openly concerned about the state of Lost Avalon, so he agreed to act as 'her' owl. This also meant that Merlin had an informant of his own, one that no one would suspect because Archimedes wasn't an "animagus", yet he could talk more intelligently than half her class could.

It was through him that she learned more about the issue with the heartless. It was more serious than she had initially thought, and she knew that having them around was bad.

The Darkness had steeped more than initially projected, and the pure bloods kept quiet about the 'beasts' for fear of them targeting them next. The knew of the keyblade by word of mouth, but didn't know any specifics.

However the darker families would look fondly on anyone who could use it, solely because of a rumor that the true "Heir" of Slytherin could use a key-shaped blade that was black and looked like something out of a dream.

They believed Voldemort was a potential heir because of his ability to snake speak, but he wasn't considered the head of Slytherin without that blade. The goblins were very specific about that.

There were heartless on Lost Avalon...and they were used to keep the pure bloods from talking about the truth for fear of being turned into 'one of them'.

On the plus side, Dobby had officially been transferred into the 'ownership' of Tania after she made inquiries to Narcissa about needing a 'reliable elf' since she didn't trust the ones at Hogwarts...and what a coincidence, Dobby was the only one Lucius was willing to spare for such a low price.

Needless to say he was over the moon, and he loved his new 'uniform' which was a modified version of the coat the Organization used. He still hated going through the corridor though, so Tania mostly had him helping Petunia discreetly by feeding the infants and keeping them sleeping soundly all night long...and cleaning up after the little dog Petunia adopted from the shelter.

She managed to smooth that surprise over with Vernon because it was the same breed that the Queen herself had. It was hard to argue against that kind of logic, and it kept the image that Petunia did her best to maintain.

Right now though...she had to deal with this headache.

One look at the mob in the bookstore, and she resisted Hermione's efforts to drag her in.

"Hermione, you can have your books autographed but I'm heading to the used books at the end of the alley. Something about that man seems off, and I would rather buy them cheap at the other store than pay new. Besides, I heard they got some pretty obscure ones there."

The moment Tania saw how obscure, the first thing she thought was that Merlin might want them. They were useless to her. However she did find some potion books for Shadow to play with.

"New or used these things are way too expensive. Still, I was able to find some decent books without having to brave the mob out... Oh come on!"

Seeing Lucius Malfoy about to start a fight with the Weasleys, Tania knew she had to intervene.

Setting off a loud bang with her wand, she got everyone's attention. Since it sounded almost exactly like a gunshot, most of the mundane-raised tried to duck and cover before realizing how silly they looked.

"You two should be ashamed of yourselves! Acting like bratty first years over something this silly! You're both grown men, so act like it! Especially you Mr. Malfoy. I'm sure Narcissa would be appalled if she found out her husband was about to start a brawl like a common thug in the middle of Diagon!" Tania scolded them.

Lucius, realizing she had a point, pretended like he hadn't just been told off by a twelve year old Hufflepuff.

Seeing Ron puff up because she told off Malfoy Sr., Tania was quick to burst his bubble as well.

"And you, Mr. Weasley! I know your sons are arrogant brats who misbehave in school, but you should be leading a better example! It's no wonder everyone hates it when Fred and George cause trouble and force everyone to listen to your wife's voice airing out the dirty laundry in public, or that Percy acts like a stuck-up jerk, or that Ron has absolutely _no_ manners if this is the example you're setting for them! Grow up already!" said Tania hotly.

"Oi! People love our pranks!" said George angrily, embarrassed that Tania Potter was doing this to them.

"No, they don't. And if you have a problem with it, then you should either learn some new material that doesn't look like you're essentially bullying some poor student, or tell your mother that perhaps she should find an alternative method of punishment besides howlers. I'm sure her voice could use a rest, considering the sheer number of them that she sent last year," deadpanned Tania, looking them in the eye. And then she aimed her barbed tongue at Percy, who was also seething. "And you should know better than to harass the other students just because you have a prefect's badge. It shames you and your house the way you acted last year."

Hermione and the others hung back, shocked that Tania was taking the whole lot of them to task in such a public manner, even if they _did_ have it coming to them.

* * *

 _Two days later..._

After they left Diagon, it didn't take very long at all before rumors spread about what happened. Or for it to reach the infamous Molly Weasley.

The moment Tania saw the red envelope with the mail, she winced openly enough for Petunia to notice.

"What is _that_?" she asked suspiciously.

"This is a magical envelope. One that is restricted in purely mundane neighborhoods because it pretty much outs any witches or wizards in the area. Unfortunately they're set to go off even if you don't open them."

"And what is the purpose of these envelopes?"

"My guess? Molly Weasley heard about me tell off her family and decided I needed to be reprimanded. Her husband was about to start a brawl like a common thug with a rival family, and I stopped them before it escalated...though I did take that as a chance to publicly reprimand her sons as well, because they were horrible last year."

"How bad were they?"

"Her youngest son has zero manners, and eats like a pig who barely knows what cutlery is for. Her twin sons are pranksters, but act more like bullies and are the main source of these...howlers... that come at least once a week if not more. And the oldest currently attending the school harassed me repeatedly and abused his position as one of the students meant to maintain order when teachers aren't around. I said nothing but the truth," said Tania defensively.

"How many children does this woman have?"

"Seven. Six boys, two of which have long since graduated, and one girl which is due to start this year."

"Well she still has no right to reprimand you for speaking your mind. That sort of thing is left to the guardian of the child, and you have spoken to me previously about their behavior."

"I better deal with this before it wakes the twins. Odds are my cousin Narcissa will know the appropriate response to her breaking the law so blatantly," said Tania.

Tania went up to her room and grabbed something unusual.

It was something akin to a pair of iron tongs. Master Merlin had told her how to handle such letters after she mentioned them.

Before they went off, use something made of iron to carry it. The magic would be forced to remain dormant until the iron was removed.

"Dobby!"

"Yes, Miss Tania?" asked Dobby. He was a changed elf, and he was glad for it.

"Could you ask Narcissa if she'd be willing to meet with me? It seems Molly Weasley has sent me a howler and I would like to know the appropriate level of response to this. Especially since it was at my _mundane_ aunt's home that she sent the letter to."

"At once, Miss Tania," said Dobby, disappearing. He returned a few moments later. "Miss Narcissa said she was free now and to bring you to her."

Tania changed into something more appropriate for a witch, and took Dobby's arm. He teleported her straight to Malfoy Manor.

"It's so nice to finally meet you properly...Tania, was it?"

"I agree, Mrs. Malfoy."

"Please, call me Aunt Narcissa dear. Now where is this howler?"

Tania held it out to Narcissa, who had already silenced the room. Upon opening, the banshee that was Molly went off with a bang, telling Tania that she should be ashamed of herself for being so disrespectful and how it was a shame her muggle relatives didn't raise her better.

Narcissa's lips curled in distaste. She didn't like Molly on a _good_ day.

"And you got this at your muggle relatives house, correct?"

"I found it in the mail. I knew better than to open it, because it would have woken up my new twin cousins from a nap after we finally got them to sleep," said Tania. "Not to mention these things are _notorious_ for outing witches and wizards to their mundane neighbors and forcing them to move. And since I'm not legally able to cast magic..."

"She should have raised her sons better to begin with. I'll never understand why Arthur allows her to get away with half the things she does, or why they're so poor."

Arthur was an established pure blood with a crest and a man. That meant he got regular raises at least once every other year simply because. There was _no_ reason why the Weasleys could barely afford tuition as they would have gotten a discount for sending more than two children to Hogwarts, never mind that most of them were gone most of the year.

Molly should have gotten the hang of at least _trying_ to save some galleons for the usual yearly expenses. Or bought the books in bulk.

Or, considering the Lockhart books were so expensive, have told her children to share them for all their classes. She really had no sense of money management. And it wasn't like they needed them outside of class. The man was a joke.

"In any case, I'll help you file an official complaint against her, since you were smart enough to catch it in time. Though I must admit, I'm pleasantly surprised that someone from your house would think to contact me first before opening it and receiving a citation."

"Sometimes the most deadly snake is the one you can't see coming," said Tania cryptically. "A Gryffindor is a good place to hide if you want to avoid being taken as 'dark', but it's too closely watched by that old cat. Hufflepuff is a better choice, because it means you can find actual loyalty, and if one is threatened then they all are."

"So the rumor I heard from Draco about a first year Hufflepuff secretly gathering an army of girls is..."

"Me."

Narcissa smirked.

"You might find it a bit easier to gather an army and make a few changes...if you're willing to put in the work."

"We're changing the music next. And what exactly would this work entail?"

"Mostly acknowledging your Black heritage, and being willing to learn some of the less...pleasant...spells."

Tania rolled her eyes.

"A spell is only as dark as it's use. A blood boiling curse can just as easily be used to heat up a cup of water to make tea, since blood is mostly made of water."

"Finally, a witch with some sense!" said Narcissa pleased.

"Has it been dealt with?" asked Petunia at supper.

"I've lodged a formal complaint against the Weasley family for almost outing me to my normal neighbors. If she tries that stunt again she'll be fined heavily, and I've arranged for extra lessons with my cousin Narcissa."

"What sort of lessons?" asked Petunia.

"Know thy enemy. The Blacks were big supporters of the man who murdered my parents, and her husband was in his inner circle. I learn how _they_ fight, and next time they won't have it so easy if they try to start a fight. And it won't end as badly as last time, because some senile old man is a fan of redemption," said Tania darkly.

"Good. I don't want you to kill indiscriminately, but if it's people who are trying to kill you and won't miss any sleep over the act, then sometimes the permanent methods are the only way. Even if it means a hanging."

"On an unrelated note, how would you feel if I left Dobby here during the year to keep an eye on the twins and Duchess?"

"If he remains discreet, then I don't mind. It would be nice to relax for once instead of fussing about the state of the house. Besides, he's already cleaned up the worst of the mess left from the renovation," said Petunia.

Her face went impassive.

"That being said... you have a way to get around even without _their_ knowledge, don't you?"

Tania did her best not to freeze.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't play coy with me. Dobby isn't the most discreet, and he has some hero worship going on with you for removing him from a bad situation."

Tania inwardly winced, before mentally making a check never to trust a brownie with any secrets.

"Yes."

"Is it dangerous?" asked Petunia seriously.

"Not as long as I have the coat, and even then I can travel for small amounts of time before it affects me. It's how I've been doing my laundry during the school year without relying on charms."

"...You weren't actually at a friend's house during the beginning of summer, were you?"

"No. I didn't want to worry you, and I was perfectly safe. I was taking lessons from a teacher who is much better at magic than the teachers at school."

"I appreciate the concern, but next time just tell me flat out."

"It's hard to explain, and the less you know, the harder it will be for the idiots in charge if they find out. It's not a common ability. But if they decided to restart the fight that got my parents killed, it gives me a way to get you to safety away from all this and they won't be able to follow," said Tania honestly.

Petunia said nothing, but her relief was palpable.

* * *

 _The beginning of the year..._

It was a good thing she came to the platform early, because it meant she could charm the door against the Weasleys. She'd heard from Neville that the children who were still attending Hogwarts, including Ginny, were going to be out for her blood because she openly retaliated against their mother, never mind that she had blatantly broke the law by sending one of her howlers.

If they pressed too hard, Tania wasn't afraid to collect the students in a lawsuit against Molly Weasley for an assault on their poor ears, seeing as how everyone knew that her sons had learned to tune out her howlers.

If they really pissed her off, then Tania was going to channel her Black blood and send an inquiry to the goblins directly that she was concerned about whether Arthur Weasley was fit to be the Patriarch of the family, considering his oldest son was next in line to be the family head.

Because from what she heard of Molly, it sounded like she ran roughshod over her husband, even ignoring direct orders from him. And to a society where the head of the family ruled it, that was a big no-no.

Something Molly should be more than aware of.

Narcissa had even heard rumors that Molly had gotten Arthur to marry her after she deliberately put love potions in his food to force him to notice her. Which was _illegal_.

"So, how was your summer Tania?" asked Susan.

"Somehow I don't think it's going to compare to what is likely to happen during our school year," said Tania cheerfully.

She officially _loved_ having a heart, and a full range of emotions.


	13. Meeting Luna

**Good news everyone! I've officially got THIRTY FIVE** **chapters of this particular story written. You read that right, _35_ chapters of Memories of Nobody. Odds are I'll be able to finish this soon, hopefully. Right now I'm in the beginning of Fourth Year, and if any of you were wondering what the pairing was going to be...wonder no more! This is firmly a Xion/Roxas story. With possible Aqua/Axel.**

* * *

The girls were amicably chatting about what the next year would entail.

"So you're going to be acting as the main player for the school choir, Tania?" said Hermione.

"The only other person who plays an instrument is a fourth year who openly admits he's an amateur. He can barely put the strings on. So in between acting as the reserve seeker for Hufflepuff, which means I have to attend practice if it doesn't conflict with my music club, I can use this as a chance to start making connections with the less than pleasant families."

"Like the Malfoys? Auntie said she saw you with Narcissa Malfoy an hour before the citation was sent to Mrs. Weasley," said Susan.

"Well she shouldn't have sent a _howler_ to my house. If I hadn't spotted it when I did, it would have woken up the twins and my uncle would have been furious. Not to mention she also got a citation for the Department for the Welfare of Magical Children."

"Ouch," said Hannah, wincing.

"The what?" said Hermione.

"Think of it as a department solely dedicated to the protection and welfare of magical children under seventeen. They come in if a child with enough magical heritage needs help."

"And enough magical heritage means...?"

"Half-blood or higher from known pure blood lineage," said Hannah without hesitation.

"Because she deliberately sent a howler into a _known_ muggle neighborhood with the intent to harass the heir of an almost extinct line, despite having no direct relationship or contact with said minor, she risked revealing the secret of magic to muggles. It doesn't help that the only registered magical in the neighborhood _was_ the minor, who would have had no way of keeping the howler quiet, let alone explaining what the yelling was about," clarified Susan.

"Not to mention she did it to the girl who lived. That really didn't go over well, I bet. Especially since Tanny was only speaking the truth, and she would have plenty of witnesses willing to back up what she said about the Weasleys," said Hannah.

"If they push me too much, I'll owl the goblins with an anonymous letter about my 'concerns' that Arthur Weasley might be bewitched by his wife and is no longer fit to be head of the Weasley family," said Tania flatly.

Susan, Hannah and Neville all winced in unison.

"I know I'm only going to betray my ignorance, but what does that mean?" asked Hermione.

"It means Tania is basically stating she believes him to be under potions or spells that endanger his position as head of the family, and it will really hurt his position in the Ministry. All of his files will be called into question and an inquest will be made for as long as he's been with his wife. And if something _is_ found, his oldest son will automatically be declared head of the family until the matter is resolved...but it would mean that his actions would always have a shadow of doubt in the background, allowing people like Lucius Malfoy to demand an investigation if he doesn't like it," said Neville.

"It's really, really serious," added Susan.

"Like I said, I'll only do it if they really, really piss me off. Odds are the most I _will_ do is file a charge against Molly Weasley for assaulting our ears every week, even though it's been proven for a while now that her sons aren't even paying attention to her howlers in the first place," said Tania.

"Good," said Susan, and the mood went back to the pleasant one before.

* * *

It was halfway to the castle when Tania saw a head of red hair heading their way, and promptly locked and charmed the door.

Hermione only had to see Ron's face from where she was sitting to know why she did it. He looked _pissed_.

Finally he stalked off when he saw someone coming.

"So...how did you like having a pair of squalling infants in the house?" asked Hannah, changing the subject.

"They were hardly squalling...unless Dudley or Vernon was holding them. My aunt and I came up with a schedule to deal with it. We switched every three days, and we flipped a coin to see who got the weekend. That way she got some sleep and I got my summer homework done. Though that was only the first week. The rest I spent with a magical tutor. He said he was appalled at how 'far the school had fallen'. Apparently there used to be a lot more classes around," said Tania.

"Really?" said Hermione dangerously.

"He also said that it was disappointing how little I knew about magical history. Apparently Salazar Slytherin wasn't as evil as he's painted, and he used to tutor the first gens in how to read and write in the early days."

"Better not say that around the snakes. They might take it really badly," warned Hannah.

"Well I have something that should gain some credibility among the Slytherins this year. Apparently there's a rumor among the Slytherin students about Salazar's 'true heir' and how his son wasn't the one who was meant to inherit. How the title is still up for grabs if they have the right...predisposition," said Tania.

"Really? Spill!" said Hannah.

"Okay, I only heard about this from my tutor, but it was confirmed by Narcissa. Apparently Slytherin wasn't actually chased out of the castle like it says in the legends, but he left trying to find a certain...creature... in order to restore his beloved pet back to normal."

Susan, Hannah and Neville shared a look, before silently agreeing.

"We should stop now," said Hannah.

"Why?" said Hermione.

"There are certain unspoken rules that pure bloods adhere to. One of which is to never speak of the black creatures even the Dark families won't consider messing with. It's said if you talk about them, they'll appear and make you _one_ of them. It's worse than the dementors," said Susan shuddering.

"Even You-Know-Who wasn't stupid enough to try and control them," agreed Hannah.

The pure bloods looked around, hoping that even alluding to the creatures didn't somehow summon them there.

Tania rolled her eyes.

"The only reason magicals fear the heartless is because they've forgotten how to cast without a wand, or the spells that can kill them without the right weapon meant to free the hearts," said Tania.

The three pure bloods hurriedly shushed her.

"Wait... you mean the things they're referring to are the main monsters from _Kingdom Hearts_?" said Hermione incredulous.

"SHUSH! Are you trying to tempt fate?" said Hannah, pale.

Hermione looked at Tania, in disbelief.

"The pure bloods have a belief that mentioning them will summon them to you, and that they'll turn you into one. Why they seem to think that's worse than having your soul sucked out and your heart destroyed by dementors, I have no idea. I mean there is a way to reverse being turned into a heartless."

" _Kingdom Hearts_ is REAL?" said Hermione in disbelief.

"Of course it's real. I've actually seen a few older books that say this world isn't called Earth, but it's original designation is Lost Avalon," said Tania. "From what I understand, Merlin never actually died, but he did move to a different time period. He time travels all the time for vacation."

"You mean like that movie _Sword in the Stone_? The one where he turn Arthur into a bird and has a talking owl named Archimedes?" said Hermione.

" _They actually made a movie about that?"_ said a tired voice near the window. Her head whipped over to where Tania's new owl sat.

"No way. Archimedes?!"

" _In the feathers, young lady."_

Tania had a brilliant idea.

"I know. How about you pretend to be Hermione's owl? That way you can get into all sorts of spirited debates with the Ravenclaws without being bored while you're there!" said Tania.

Hermione perked up at the idea. She had all sorts of questions she could ask the owl!

Tania got up.

"Bathroom?" asked Susan. She nodded.

"We'll save some of your favorites from the cart," said Hannah.

* * *

Tania was on her way back to her compartment when she noticed a first year sitting outside all by herself.

"What's wrong?"

"My friend kicked me out in favor of talking with some other Gryffindor hopefuls," said the dreamy-eyed blond. She had radishes in her ears and a bottlecap necklace.

"What's your friend's name?"

"Ginny."

It didn't take much to guess she was referring to the _only_ daughter of the Weasley family.

"Have you tried finding another compartment?"

She shook her head.

"Well that won't do. You're likely to get walked all over if you keep sitting there. You can stay in my compartment with my friends until we reach the station," said Tania.

The blond blinked a few times.

"Why are you being so nice to me?"

"Why shouldn't I be? What's your name?"

"Luna Lovegood."

"My name is Titania Potter, but everyone calls me Tania."

"No it's not," said Luna, her eyes narrowing on Tania with laser intensity.

Tania paused, before she cheerfully asked "What do you mean?"

"Your name isn't originally Tania Potter. You're number 14, Xion."

Xion, and this was Xion now, stared at her in shock.

"How on earth... No one knows that."

Luna's face went dreamy again.

"My father's line has Seer's in it. While the blood has thinned out due to inbreeding, we can still see things no one else can. It makes it easier to get spells from creatures."

Xion blinked.

"Blue mage?" she guessed.

"Level eighteen," said Luna cheerfully.

"That does it, you're definitely coming with me. I refuse to be the only other person aside from Hermione who can make decent _Final Fantasy_ and _Kingdom Hearts_ references!" said Xion flatly.

"Can I debate random things with your Moogle?" asked Luna hopefully.

"I'd be insulted if you couldn't confuse everyone by doing so," said Xion grinning. She liked this girl, she liked her a lot. It was practically an instant connection between siblings.

It was probably a sign of things to come when Tania came back to the compartment and introduced Luna as her new minion...

* * *

"Is anyone else confused?" asked Hermione, pinching her nose.

"Absolutely," said Susan, watching the proceedings.

"Completely," said Hannah.

"I find it funny," said Tania with an unrepentant grin.

Luna, Shadow and Archimedes got on like a house hit with fiendfyre. Once they got going, it was rather entertaining to see them switch between the most random subjects, before switching again. Upon learning Archimedes would be going into Ravenclaw, and that Shadow was more or less considered an assistant professor to Snape's class (he caused the number of explosions to drop considerably by giving them little safety tips) Luna decided to join the house of the intelligent.

That being said, she got along famously with Tania. So much so that Tania's introduction didn't sound as silly as she had worded it.

"So what's her deal?" asked Hermione, trying to stave off an oncoming headache.

"Blue mage with Seer's abilities."

It took Hermione a few seconds.

"That...explains more than it doesn't. So does she wear the hoodie or is she primarily a Blue mage?"

"Apparently every so often someone in her family gets the gift enough to take up the Seer's mantle, but for the most part she's trained as a Blue Mage."

"Okay, now I'm really confused," said Susan.

"They're _Final Fantasy_ job types. Blue mage is someone who can learn creature magic after being hit with it, and I never really got what Seer's could actually do, outside of wearing a rather interesting hoodie," explained Hermione.

"There you go again with your muggle game references," said Hannah fondly.

"Just you wait. Eventually we'll figure out how to keep the consoles alive in Hogwarts, and then every student will get addicted to the point they'll start trying to replicate the magic spells," said Tania.

It was Shadow's long-term side project. A cell phone was easy, as Tania didn't really use it for long periods of time. A console had more moving parts, would be in much longer use, and there was the small issue of it requiring a memory card and discs that didn't react well to magic.

"Actually I heard they had a _Final Fantasy_ card game at some point," said Hermione.

"Note to self, find out if that's true and bring it to Hogwarts," said Tania. Then she remembered something.

"What are you looking for?" asked Hannah.

"My manga collection. A few of the games got turned into graphic novels and one of them was turned into a movie," said Tania. She let out a cry of triumph once she located her collection.

"Behold the addiction that is the _Final Fantasy_ and _Kingdom Hearts_ series!" said Tania.

"Dibs on the _Kingdom Hearts_ ," said Hermione immediately.


	14. The return of Demyx

McGonagall was giving her the evil eye, Snape was hiding a smirk in her direction, and Sprout was giving her an exasperated, if maternal look.

Odds were they were remembering her chewing out Lucius Malfoy and a good portion of the Weasley family.

And from the glare Ginerva was giving her, odds were that any hero-worship she had was now gone.

Good riddance.

"So we have to have classes with...him?" said Tania, eyeing Lockhart with distaste.

"Isn't he dreamy?" said one of the other girls.

"His books have timelines that don't match up, and would likely be far cheaper if he cut back on the useless information," deadpanned Tania. "That being said, I've seen cuter."

Like Riku, or even Sora.

Though deep down she knew her heart belonged to one person, and he wasn't there.

Still, at least she knew she could always ditch class and not be bored to tears.

Something she was heartily grateful for after hearing the first paired class with him ended up having to fight off Cornish Pixies.

* * *

Two seconds in Gilderoy Lockhart's class, and she was already planning on how to murder him and make it look like an accident.

She was thinking tossing him to the Olympus Coliseum where Phil pretty much put new "heroes" through the ringer and letting him die of exhaustion. It would serve him right.

Actually she was planning to do that to Ron Weasley, because he was genuinely getting on her nerves. After her "attack" on his family in Diagon, his strange grudge against her came back ten times worse. He was just shy of hexing her in the hallway, and that was because she wasn't stupid enough to go anywhere alone.

She still didn't know why she kept running into the Weasley twins, but it was irritating her greatly.

For now though, she had bigger problems.

Choir practice with a Dusk that _refused_ to leave. She had come into the room, intending to use some of her new music, when it had appeared.

The strange thing was that this Dusk didn't act like the others. In fact, if she didn't know any better she'd swear that Demyx had somehow corrupted this one. It kept stealing her chips and hovering around his chair and favorite spots.

Finally, she couldn't take it anymore.

"Why won't you return to the Castle?! I swear, you've spent too much time with Demyx!" she said with exasperation.

The Dusk stopped all movement the moment she said the name Demyx.

Tania paused, before she really looked at it. She knew that being turned into a Dusk was considering one of the more serious punishments among the Organization... but what were the odds that it happened to Demyx?

"Demyx?" she said carefully. The Dusk tried to nod, but it couldn't really pull it off. "Number 9, Demyx, the Melodious Nocturne?"

It was a good thing she had the door closed. There was a loud explosion of smoke, before she was almost tackled off the bench.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! You have no idea what it was like stuck as a Dusk!" said Demyx, with a great deal of anime-tears falling down his face.

"What happened?" asked Xion.

"Xemnas was a jerk. He turned me into a Dusk and said I wasn't allowed to return back to normal unless someone acknowledged me by my full title a few days before Sora and his friend showed up and wiped everyone out. I thought I was going to be stuck like that forever!" sobbed Demyx. Xion patted him on the head with sympathy.

"I'm so sorry I didn't recognize you sooner."

Demyx wiped his eyes, and stared at Xion.

"How are you alive? I thought Roxas..."

"Long story that I'm not about to explain...especially with people coming! If you can wait until the weekend, I can tell you everything."

"Can... Can I still stay at the castle?"

"It's our home. Why wouldn't you be allowed?" said Xion, tilting her head.

"Yay!"

Xion smiled. Demyx was really like a lazy puppy.

Still, he at least managed to disappear _properly_ before teachers practically stormed the room.

"Ms. Potter, did you see anything unusual just now?" asked Flitwick concerned.

Tania looked at him with confusion.

"Did the wards trip again? I thought the Ministry forced to have the headmaster fix them after last year?"

Seeing there was nothing in the room save for Tania, they left.

Once they were properly gone, Demyx popped his head out of the corridor.

"Think we could play together? It gets boring at the castle."

"You've been listening to me play to the Dusks, right? Think you can remember the notes?" said Xion. Demyx nodded.

Xion flexed her fingers before beginning to play, and Demyx pulled out his sitar and matched her perfectly. He had been among those that listened to her the most.

" _Where are you now, what are you doing?_

 _Are you in this endless sky?_

 _I realized for the first time_

 _I've lost the things that have filled my heart until now_

 _How much you supported me_

 _How much you made me smile_

 _That I'd lost them_

 _Was too much to consider_

 _Even though I struggled so desperately_

 _To reach out my hand and take them back_

 _Like wind they slipped through,_

 _looking as though they would reach me, but did not_

 _My chest was tightened by loneliness and despair_

 _My heart felt like it would break_

 _But your smiling face remained in my memories_

 _Always encouraging me_

 _Let's return to those days once more_

 _I know it will be alright this time_

 _Always smiling at your side_

 _Close by your side..._

 _Where are you now, what are you doing?_

 _Are you in this endless sky?_

 _Will you smile for me like always?_

 _Right now, it's all I continue to ask for..."_

( **A/N:** **Not sure what it's from, but I found it on** _ **YouTube.**_ **The title says it's called "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni 'Dear You'". If you know what this is from, please let me know.** )

Hearing footsteps, Demyx didn't need to be told. He left for the Castle That Never Was, planning to shower and take a nice long nap. It was nice to have someone to play with.

Demyx paused on his way to his room.

Correction...it was nice to have someone to play music with that could hold a tune and knew how to play an instrument without making it sound like a dying cat.

For all his intelligence, Vexen was _horrible_ at playing _anything_. Demyx shivered at the memory of him trying to play a few instruments before they were all banned from playing them... except him because his weapon _was_ an instrument.

* * *

With the 'restoration' of Demyx, Xion found she wasn't nearly as lonely as before. He was a bit of a goof, and really lazy, but he was also pretty nice.

Especially since she became his supplier of entire series worth of manga. Being allowed to laze about the Castle while occasionally acting as her source of news in the worlds at large meant he was actually enjoying himself.

And that wasn't getting into the fact that the two of them would play their instruments and entertain the Nobodies. Or the fact that Cerberus thought chasing him was the most fun of all time.

Cerberus was no longer allowed inside the Castle.

Still, she missed Axel and Roxas.

"So what's the plan for the Weasleys?" asked Hannah, her face twitching.

"I'm planning to abduct some of them and throwing them to the strictest physical education teacher I know," deadpanned Tania.

"What's physical education?" asked Susan.

"Think the Quidditch team, only instead of working on their flight and arm muscles it's all over," said Hermione, simplifying it for them. "And how bad are we talking about?"

Remembering Hermione was familiar with the game, Tania smirked.

"Phil the satyr, in the Olympus Coliseum," she said flatly.

Hermione blinked twice, before she caught on.

"Oh that is positively evil. Can I watch when they realize exactly what they're in for?" she said, grinning evilly. She wasn't even serious.

"You'll have to borrow one of my special coats, but I don't see why not. Though odds are he might try to get us to join in," warned Tania.

If only Hermione knew what she was in for.

"Why do I suddenly feel a sense of foreboding for them?" asked Susan.

"You're developing a sixth sense for chaos. Good. It means you'll survive with your sanity intact later when the nightmares of adult paperwork hit you with a brick, and you start to spread it around," Tania said with a flat tone. Hannah snickered.

"On an unrelated note, exactly who was playing with you in the music room? It sounded like a stringed instrument, but whoever was playing was almost as good as you were and I know you mentioned the other player wasn't very good," said Hermione.

"No idea. He found the music room like I did and asked if he could play music with me when he heard me practice," said Tania, telling half truths. "He plays a sitar though."

"What year is he in?" asked Hannah eagerly.

"I have no idea how old he is," said Tania honestly. And why would a Nobody count their creation as a birthday? She only celebrated 'hers' because it was expected and it was nice to have one.

The only one that bothered to count the days was Roxas, and he had to write in that odd diary.

"Wait. You've been spending hours with an unknown boy older than you in an relatively empty corridor..." started Hermione, horrified.

Tania rolled her eyes, and scoffed loudly.

"Hermione, I honestly doubt either of us has _those_ sort of thoughts towards each other. He was just glad to have someone to play music with and talk to. Besides, I like someone else, even if I haven't seen him in a while," said Tania flatly.

Demyx was like a goofy older brother, or a cousin that you couldn't help but be fond of.

"Spill girl!" said Hannah intently.

"We only knew each other for less than a year, but it was like we were best friends instantly. He was always bright and cheerful, but sometimes he felt like he wasn't entirely there and his older brother was a bit of a jerk when he had to be. I was really sad when he had to go away, but I'm sure I'll see him again eventually. Even if I have to hire investigators to find him."

"Was he, you know, like us?" asked Susan.

"He could use magic, but I was better at it than he was. Of course he was better at healing spells than me," said Tania.

"So how did you meet?"

"I honestly don't remember. I was a bit of a zombie back then. But I do remember when he left. It wasn't exactly a good Hollywood ending," said Tania with a wince. Dying in Roxas' arms like she had, and then waking up in that void was something that _still_ haunted her.

"So...when are we going to start changing the music selection of the school?" asked Hermione, changing the subject.

"I don't think Lee would be open to helping us. Not with him being so close to the twins," said Susan.

"Speaking of the twins, have either of you noticed something off about them?" asked Hannah.

"You mean outside of them being more subdued with their pranks than normal?" said Tania.

It seemed to her that telling them their pranks were _not_ funny and that the only reason people laughed with them was because they didn't want to become targets of their bullying. And when they asked their friends, they not only had it confirmed, but they found that the girls didn't even think it was amusing they kept harassing the Slytherins so much.

Of course the girls had no way of knowing that during a detention with Snape, he told them the cold hard truth about the Marauders they so admired. How they had tormented him for years, and how Padfoot had once tricked him into running into a half-grown werewolf that had come within scant inches from biting him. They had thought their pranks were funny too, but they were little more than bullies.

Being confronted with that truth, they had gone over their past pranks and thought about how it might feel to be on the other side...and they didn't like the results.

On the plus side, they hadn't heard a howler in over three weeks since school had restarted.

"Anyway I'm actually more curious as to where you heard of 'that', Tania. I mean most adults refuse to discuss 'it'," said Susan. It was an unspoken Taboo for a reason.

"I want to know why people are so afraid to discuss it."

"People have gone looking into the source of 'them' or start making noise about developing spells to be rid of 'them' once and for all, and the next thing you hear is that they've mysteriously vanished. Most believe that whatever controls them doesn't want us to be rid of 'them'," said Hannah.

"Every family has a story of someone who went investigating and got turned into one of 'them'," added Susan.

"...If it's anything like the game, then odds are there are _already_ spells to kill the heartless and they've just been lost," scoffed Hermione.

Tania said nothing, as she knew _exactly_ where to get copies of such books and knowing that "Dumbledore" would likely confiscate them at the first opportunity.

It would be easier to make it look like she had simply recreated them by accident, and then teach it to the others.

"Well I know what I'll be doing during Defense class this year," deadpanned Tania.

Hermione gave her a disapproving look, but then again she was one of the unfortunately many people who had hero-worship going on with _Lockhart_.

Tania had set him 'on fire' with bluebell flames, which were perfectly harmless. You would have thought it was real with the screams that man let off.

He sounded more like a little girl than _Tania_ did, and that was saying something.


	15. Death Day Party Surprise!

**Thank you to everyone who told me where to find that series. I honestly had no idea it was an anime... I just found the song on YouTube and liked it.**

* * *

Demyx officially liked having Xion give the orders more than he ever had Xemnas. Their old boss was a jerk.

Xion knew Demyx hated fighting, and to be perfectly honest he could pick up more intelligence acting as a traveling player that just happened to find a cloak than he could as a Nobody.

He was the main source of information for her, and he even managed to get into King Mickey's castle a few times with his music. Invited, at that!

Which was why he was currently searching to find if any of the other members survived, or if Naminé was still around.

So far all he knew was that Naminé had _joined_ with Kairi and hadn't been seen since.

The worst part, the absolute worst part for Xion was confirmation of Axel's death. Even if Demyx _was_ able to find his Somebody. A man named "Lea".

Xion wondered why most of the members of the Organization had their names made up of letters switched around with an added 'X' somewhere. It was just weird.

* * *

In the days leading up to Halloween (she didn't hate the holiday, but the only thing she really cared about was the fact the doorway to Halloweentown was basically thrown wide open for anyone to wander in for a few hours to help celebrate the holiday) Tania had a rather...odd...encounter with the Gryffindor Ghost, Sir Nickolas.

" _Tania, I really hope this isn't rude...but could you join my Death Day Celebration?"_

"'Death Day Celebration'?" she repeated.

" _It's the day when ghosts celebrate the anniversary of when they died. This is to be my five hundredth Death Day on Halloween,"_ said Nick proudly.

Tania thought the request over, before an idea occurred to her.

"Tell me Sir Nickolas...what do you know of Jack Skellington?"

If it was _on_ Halloween, then maybe she could visit the town and convince Jack the Pumpkin King to make an appearance. Odds were he'd get a kick out of the idea, and EVERYONE remembered the debacle when he got so disillusioned with the job that he literally tried to complete Christmas...Halloween-style.

Santa made a point to bring snow every Christmas as a not-so-subtle reminder that he hadn't forgotten the incident and to hopefully keep Jack amused to avoid a repeat.

From what Tania heard, they started a once a month tradition of meetings with the other holidays to churn out ideas and simply chat...and to have forewarning if it happened again.

Nick was almost literally beside himself.

" _My dear, if you could convince the Pumpkin King and his wife to make an appearance, it would be the talk of the ghosts!"_ said Nick, excited. It would almost certainly be a very loud snub to the Headless Hunt, who didn't think his death by decapitation was enough to join their group.

If the Pumpkin King thought he was good enough to come to his party, then it would be quite the coup for Nick.

"I'll visit Halloweentown soon and ask if they would be interested in joining. No guarantees, but I will show up. Just remember to tell the...elves...that some of the living will be there too," said Tania.

Nick's eyes were so hopeful that Tania prayed Jack agreed to visit. Even if it might open the door for other keyblade bearers to show up.

* * *

Jack Skellington _was_ bored, but he was openly intrigued at the dark figure at his doorstep. His wife Sally didn't sense any evil intent from the figure.

"Are you Jack Skellington?"

It was a little girl.

"You're not here to try and steal my heart, are you?"

The girl threw back her hood, revealing a slim figure that could easily be mistaken for a black haired Kairi, who he had only seen once.

"Actually I came here to see if you and your wife might be interested in a Death Day party. I'm friends with a ghost who's about to have his five hundredth, and he was recently rejected by some headless ghosts because his head wasn't properly removed when he died. It took them forty-two strokes of the ax for him to properly depart," said the girl.

"Impressive!" said Jack, and he meant it.

"They call him Nearly Headless Nick. His favorite trick is to sneak up on the students and show them the fact his head is still attached. You can see the throat and everything," said the girl brightly.

Jack clapped his hands in delight. This ghost sounded like he might be an interesting addition to the town, and they weren't bound to the worlds like the living were!

"When is this party?"

"On Halloween, around dinnertime. It's on a world previous closed, but for some reason the keyhole was loosened enough to allow travel, and I know you can go into any world on Halloween," said the girl.

Jack was definitely interested.

"I also know that Nick would be absolutely delighted to meet you and your wife, though the school has wards against things like vampires and werewolves. You'd get an entirely new audience to scare the living daylights out of," said the girl. "There's even a poltergeist, though his tactics could use some work as everyone considers him more of a nuisance than anything else."

That settled it. Jack was definitely going to attend if he could get there.

He had the girl leave with one of his minor bones so Zero could track it later. His ghost dog could follow that scent _anywhere._

This was going to be fun.

* * *

Hermione stared at Tania.

"Jack Skellington, as in the main character from the _Nightmare Before Christmas_ , is coming to Hogwarts."

"Him, Sally, and Zero. He doesn't really get out much, and the chance to scare a school full of magic users was too tempting to resist. Besides, can you imagine the looks on everyone's faces when one of the dancing skeletons suddenly lets loose a bloodcurdling scream and scares the living daylights out of them?" said Tania impishly.

Hermione went to object, before she thought that over.

"This was for Nick, wasn't it?"

"He was feeling down and I knew how to access the realm Halloweentown is on. Zero is going to track one of Jack's bones so he can find this place, and it's going to be the biggest thing for the ghosts in centuries."

Especially since they had already tested it outside Hogwarts, and found that Jack could access Lost Avalon. He might be a little late, but he would definitely show up to the party.

"So how many are actually going?"

"So far I've roped Susan, Hannah, Daphne, Blaise and Neville. Oh, and the adorably weird firstie named Luna."

Luna, who was the _only_ person who called her Xion. And who insisted on calling her that every time Tania helped her with homework.

Naturally she had taken to the odd blond and pretty much adopted her as a new friend, house-rivalry be damned. Luna definitely seemed to appreciate the positive attention and the fact Tania actually listened to her without mocking her later.

"I find it hilarious that every house is going _but_ the house he's the ghost for," said Hermione dryly.

"Just wait until they meet Jack. I've already convinced one of the Gryffindor first years to take pictures of everything. He has no idea Jack's coming."

"You actually talked to a Gryffindor?"

"He read the books and I got to him before he was corrupted. He has already admitted to wishing he has asked the hat to be put in another house after Ron yelled at him for two hours for being _nice_ to me," said Tania with annoyance.

"Still. Jack _Skellington_ is coming!" said Hermione.

She might not look it, but she was a fan of the _Disney_ franchise and she did play _Kingdom Hearts_. It had taken her an entire weekend to play through it nonstop, she was that addicted.

"You can ask for his autograph later. You coming to the party or not?"

"You did confirm there would be human food, right?"

"I finally decided to take matters into my own hands and told Nick I'd get the food for the living, since he was too excited hearing Jack _is_ coming to HIS Death Day party. Expect pizza and other normal foods, rather than the bland stuff they serve here," said Tania.

"You had me at pizza. They can't even cook burgers here," said Hermione, making a face.

"I'll be sure to stock up on normal food then," said Tania.

There was a reason why an entire section of the freezer inside the Castle That Never Was happened to have pizza and other frozen foods.

Demyx knew damn well he had better not touch her stash of sea-salt ice cream, or he'd be in for it.

* * *

 _Halloween..._

Hermione could smell the junk food from here, and she was very close to salivating. She hadn't had pizza in _months_ , and her parents were only ever strict when it came to sweets.

The pure bloods were very confused at how she was acting, but weren't going to comment. Seeing Nick's "mournful" face, it was pretty obvious he was pleased at how things were going.

It was also very clear that Tania knew her friends very well, because the moment they took their first bite of that cheese and sauce filled crust, they were hooked.

It had been somewhat awkward conspiring with her aunt for a rather large order of pizza that Dobby then delivered, but seeing their faces and actually eating normal food made up for it.

Tania made a mental note to use the same method from now on, because now that she had a way of actually _getting_ the food without having to go to the kitchens, there was no way she'd suffer what they thought as food at Hogwarts.

It was bland. It was fatty. And she could never fully trust anything save for the vegetables and fruits, which she got personally out of Sprout's greenhouses, which all elves were banned from. Well, it was less of a ban and more that she had added a wardstone and applied as many wards against house elves as she could think of to keep them out.

Students could maintain it for some extra credit in Herbology, but she would rather it go wild than allow an elf in. A little hard work never killed anyone. Besides, it encouraged them to eat healthier.

"Pretty lively considering the occasion," said Susan, enjoying her rather messy pizza. Tania didn't know why Petunia ordered a Hawaiian pizza with extra pineapples, but at least someone was willing to eat it.

She'd stick with pepperoni or extra cheese, thank you.

That was when _they_ appeared. Everyone went silent the moment they realized who had graced them with his presence.

Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King, and his wife Sally.

"I heard someone was having a rather interesting Death Day party!" he said cheerfully.

Hermione _barely_ refrained from squealing in delight.

Tania grinned. This night was going better than she hoped!

If Jack was surprised by how enamored the ghosts were with him (or his reputation) he certainly didn't show it. Since he was from a world where it was Halloween every day, he wasn't the least bit put off by the rotting food. Tania deliberately averted her eyes when he tried a slice of cake.

Sally walked up to them, after giving a very enthusiastic Hermione her autograph. Zero, the ghostly hound, floated behind her.

"It was really nice that you thought of inviting us. The only thing Jack ever has to look forward to is scaring people, and it's only for one day a year."

"When I found out how popular he was with ghosts, he was the first person that came to mind when I saw how depressed Nick was about his party. That and the fact it was held on Halloween made it easier for me to come up with the idea. So how badly did he scare the students up in the great hall?" asked Tania impishly.

Sally grinned.

"I think the blond wizard with the too bright teeth fainted when Jack appeared and did his favorite trick. We would have come sooner but a good portion of the students recognized him and had to have his autograph. One of them even took a picture of us," said Sally.

"Small kid with an excitable attitude, red and gold crest and a camera with him?" said Tania. Sally nodded. "I knew Colin would get a good surprise if I didn't mention who was coming."

To cap off an already great party, Nick was smugly able to introduce Jack the Pumpkin King to the unwelcome party crashers.

The same Headless Hunt that had denied him entry because of a minor inconvenience were taken very aback when they realized _the_ King of Halloween had deigned to come to Nick's Death Day party. And if that wasn't enough, Jack smugly told everyone that he was so amused by Nick he was welcome to Halloweentown any time he wanted.

Nick might have fainted from sheer joy if he had still been living.

Jack had to leave around ten...he still had a job to do and he hadn't scared nearly enough people to make his quota this year.

"This has definitely been a most delightful evening!" said Jack jovially. He discreetly accepted his small pinkie bone back from Tania, who had kept it in a pouch so as not to lose it. "I think I might come around again next year and scare up some fun!"

"It has certainly been nice meeting you," said Sally, with Zero trialing behind her.

They disappeared using their holiday-based ways back to their home, before heading off to work.

Susan stared at Tania.

"You are an absolute menace and a purveyor of what a good prank is supposed to be. I applaud your cunning," said Susan, clapping one of her hands on Tania's shoulder.

Tania took a mock bow.

"Thank you. Thank you. And for my next trick I'm going to set Lockhart on fire again," said Tania. Susan and Hannah cackled. That had been _hilarious_ , and they sent photos to their aunt and mother respectively.

Madam Bones hadn't laughed that hard in years, not after Susan explained what Tania had done to him.

Of course not all nights have happy endings.

The second Tania saw the cat, she was quick to levitate Luna up to untangle the poor thing from the bracket on the wall. That done, she reached into her always-present pouch and pulled out something she thought could help.

A Moogle-Made Elixir.

It was irritating having to pry open the cat's mouth, but once the potion went down there was a golden glow...and the cat was suddenly movable again.

Mrs. Norris was not a happy feline, but she did allow Tania to pet her.

"What on earth happened to her?" said Hermione, appalled that someone had deliberately tortured an admittedly annoying cat.

"MY CAT!" screeched Filch. Mrs. Norris jumped out of Tania's arms and walked up primly to her owner/master/partner.

It wasn't until Malfoy spoke up that Tania even _noticed_ the writing. She had been more concerned about the cat.

Somehow, she had the feeling she'd be finding Salazar's missing chamber sooner than she planned.


	16. Hijacking the Radio Waves

Hermione was determined to find out more about the mystery chamber.

Tania didn't care. She knew _exactly_ what it was.

Finally she grinned at Hermione, figuring the girl had stewed enough.

"Hermione, the Chamber of 'Secrets' is where Salazar conducted all his spell research and left something important behind. It's also where he hid a great treasure that only someone worthy is allowed to use."

"Like how a Keyblade chooses who can use it," said Hermione. For some reason she had started to think of things in terms of _Kingdom Hearts_ or _Final Fantasy_.

"Actually, yes," said Tania. Hermione had no idea.

"It seems like every copy of _Hogwarts: a History_ has been checked out!" complained the bookworm.

"Not every copy. I didn't bother to _buy_ Lockhart's books," said Tania.

"What! But I've seen you with a copy of them!"

"Ah, but here's the great thing about having house mates. I borrow their copies and have Shadow help them with their Potions homework in exchange. I don't have to waste any money on books I would have burned after this year, and they get to survive long enough to get passing grades on their O.W.L.'s. Possibly enough to even get into the advanced classes that lead to their N.E.W.T.'s," said Tania flatly.

To be fair, Cedric and the others thought it was more than a fair bargain, and they noticed a major decrease in the cutting barbs that Snape sent their way after Shadow's tutoring sessions.

It was hard to discredit his ability towards potions just because he wasn't a human when _Snape_ praised his work and allowed him to join in on his personal experiments.

Even the Slytherins were being civil with him.

And she didn't even bother to do that much considering she had long since figured out Lockhart's strategy. He was more interested in making _himself_ look good by reenacting his books than he was about teaching them.

Which was why she was very, very glad Narcissa told her how to sneak out of the castle so she could teach her some of the darker aspects of magic. Well, her and Andromeda, her other sister. Once informed by Narcissa of how woefully inadequate the current heir of the Black family was in concerns to the spells _all_ Black children were supposed to learn, she grudgingly teamed up with her sister to insure Tania was properly trained.

Besides...it gave her an excuse to visit with Demyx for an hour or two and play music on the piano she swiped from Castle Oblivion. She got to catch up on the information he found, and she got some time to think.

On the plus side, Shadow had _almost_ gotten the parts he needed to get his Gummi ship running, so they could travel like normal people instead of the corridor.

Even with the coat, he _hated_ having to use that method to get around. It gave him the creeps!

"By the way Tania, did you hear they were coming out with a sequel to _Kingdom Hearts_?"

"I bet you're loving that, aren't you?"

"Absolutely! I wish _I_ had a Keyblade!" said Hermione emphatically.

Tania knew it was probably a bad idea, but she had to say it anyway.

"You don't have the right skill set for being a keyblade master. But I could totally see you in a support role like Donald was," said Tania.

Hermione blinked, before she considered that idea. To be honest the idea of being the main one to kill all the heartless with a blade she wouldn't even begin to know how to use was pretty silly. But a mage that helped the keyblade bearer out? That she could totally do.

"And I could be the lovable chronicler of your misadventures!" said Luna cheerfully.

"GAH! Don't _do_ that! How many times have I warned you about sneaking up on people!" scolded Hermione.

Luna had the rather amusing habit of sneaking up on Hermione, then saying things so outlandish that by the time it took the bookworm to realize she was there, it took her slightly longer to process what she had said. Tania found it hilarious to watch, hence why she never alerted Hermione when she saw Luna behind her.

"And I really don't see you as a Jiminy Cricket," said Hermione, once she gathered her wits. It was good for Luna to shake her up. It forced her to think outside the box, an essential skill everyone needed every now and then.

"Who said I was going to act as moral compass? I'd be more likely to cheer Tania on with any more mayhem she can come up with."

Oh yes, people _still_ talked about the scare Tania had arranged for Halloween, even if everyone loved it once they shock wore off. Especially the muggleborns, almost all of whom had either _seen_ the movie or at least heard of it. The twins were miffed that everyone loved her pranks, but when given the chance they openly admitted that they only laughed to avoid being on the wrong end of their so-called humor.

Some of them were funny, but most of the time it felt like bullying.

"What's next, are you going to pull out Riku?" joked Hermione.

Tania opened her mouth, before going absolutely silent.

Hermione paused, turned to look at her, and stared.

"Riku isn't real...right?"

"Hermione, you know that the entire _Kingdom Hearts_ franchise is based on reality. How do you know if they didn't simply hear about it from the source?"

Hermione gaped at her, before her mind came to a decision.

"You are going to introduce me to Riku or I'll hang you by your ankles from the great hall."

"I'd have to find him first. He's not exactly eager to be reminded of what happened," said Tania.

Finding out a girl was a bigger fan of him than Sora, would be a nice surprise. He could use someone in his life, and Xion wasn't above making it happen.

"That being said... QUIT SNEAKING UP ON ME LUNA!" said Hermione.

"I have Mad Ninja Skills," said Luna grinning.

"That and I think it's funnier to see your face when she does it," admitted Tania.

"Grrr..."

"In any case, in terms of support mage, I think you're more of a Red mage than a summoner," said Tania.

Hermione had to think that over.

"Red casts white and black right?"

"Yup, and they have the dualcast skills. Luna's more of a summoner," said Tania.

"I can summon Shiva or Ifrit," said Luna cheerfully.

"Nice!" said Tania, impressed.

Hermione blinked, before staring at them both.

"The spells from _Final Fantasy_ don't exist...do they?" she said slowly.

"Hermione, of course they exist. It's just that they've been deliberately lost because the pawn of the Darkness insured that much," said Luna, as if talking to a child.

Hermione swore then and there to learn those kind of spells, because all this fake Latin gave her migraines.

"On the plus side, I believe I've found the spell they used to hack the airwaves. Soon our domination of the music will begin," said Luna.

"FINALLY! I hate the Weird Sisters! They can't even hold a tune!" said Tania emphatically.

"Keep talking like that and I won't tell you the best part," said Luna evilly.

Tania looked at her.

"You're going to be on the first broadcast of our hijacking the stations."

"I'll call my friend then."

Luna shook her head.

"We want it to be you, so people can get used to the idea. You can alter the songs so that the pure bloods can relate to them."

"I think I have the perfect song for that."

* * *

 _One week later..._

Tania was at the piano, having performed her warm-ups. Professor Flitwick was supervising...mostly because he helped them look up the charm to 'hijack' the stations. Most of those who knew Tania had already turned on their magical radios, and the few that didn't did so anyway because they heard there was going to be a special on tonight.

Tania took a deep breath, and began to play.

" _Being engulfed in your soul_

 _I made a vow to love_

 _When I'm unable to sleep at night_

 _No matter how hard I try_

 _Please accept me_

 _I want to meet you right now_

 _My tears won't stop flowing_

 _I want to touch you_

 _Because I love you, it hurts a lot_

 _The more I think about you,_

 _The more my tears won't stop overflowing_

 _Although I am still unable to see you_

 _I love you more than anybody else_

 _Although I just parted with you_

 _My heart is beating 'I want to see you'_

 _The one kiss that day has almost disappeared_

 _Waiting for your mail_

 _The time limit that will decrease when I meet with you_

 _Cherishing the moment we two are together_

 _Although we have parted, I still want to meet you_

 _Through my phone I will meet you again_

 _The path back is already twilight_

 _I feel like bringing you away_

 _When your warmth disappeared_

 _I wake up from my dream to face the reality door_

 _The more I think about you,_

 _The more my tears won't stop overflowing_

 _Although I'm still unable to see you_

 _I love you more than anybody else_

 _I love you, love you, love you_

 _When the sun rises again_

 _Love you_

 _Love you_

 _Only the you I am looking for_

 _I love you_

 _Love you_

 _Close your eyes_

 _Love you_

 _Love you_

 _Love you_

 _My love for you_

 _When I am with you_

 _'I want to meet you right now' in this limited time_

 _I want to believe this everlasting love_

 _When I think I will part with you_

 _My heart pains as if it's being torn in two_

 _Your cute face, when night comes_

 _Is torn like a countdown to your end_

 _Love baby Love baby I want to freeze your words_

 _Today has come and I get to see you again_

 _The more I think..._

 _The more I miss you the more I want to meet you_

 _The more I want to be by your side_

 _The longer tomorrow seems to be_

 _'Eternity' just like this until I find it_

 _I don't want to let go of your hand_

 _Don't want to be apart from you_

 _Love you baby love for you_

 _I won't let you go again_

 _The more I think about you,_

 _The more my tears won't stop overflowing_

 _Alone at night_

 _In my eyes, I can only see you_

 _Being engulfed in your soul_

 _I made a vow to love_

 _When I am unable to sleep at night_

 _No matter how hard I try_

 _Please accept me_

 _I want to meet you right now. My tears won't stop flowing_

 _I want to touch you_

 _Because I love you, it hurts a lot_

 _I love you love you_

 _Love you_

 _Love you_

 _Love you_

 _Love you_

 _When the sun rises again_

 _Love you_

 _Love you_

 _Love you_

 _Love you_

 _Love you_

 _Love you_

 _Only the you I am looking for_

 _Love you_

 _Love you_

 _Love you_

 _Love you_

 _Love you_

 _Love you_

 _Close your eyes,_

 _Love you_

 _Love you_

 _Love you_

 _Love you_

 _Love you_

 _Love you_

 _My love for you_

 _When I am with you_

 _I love you."_

 ** _(A/N: "Love is a beautiful pain" Endless Tears. You can find multiple versions of it on YouTube. Have been listening to it obsessively._ )**

Tania couldn't see it, but a good chunk of the female population in the school and around the magical community was crying. They couldn't explain why, because the song was clearly a love song, but it sounded almost sad. Like the singer had lost someone they were destined to love, and hoped to one day find them again.

Which was true.

Luna, who was standing to the side, could see that Xion's aura was slightly depressed, but she hid it well considering. Her red string of fate was worn and frayed, but it was still there. Her destined one was still present, but at the same time not. She would have to have a talk with Merlin about that.

It wasn't good for a witch to pine away when their soul mate was lost. It drove those who had magic (and Xion had a lot) insane.

It happened to her father, after all.

The only reason she was functional was because her soul mate wasn't genuinely dead.

Tania played several more songs, before smoothly becoming only the background music for the Hogwart's choir, and only the best singers made it on the air.

She had translated several songs for them, as well as printed out several more from the more recent bands. She tried to stick to the ones that had piano in the background.

By the time they finally released the hold they had on the signal, the damage had been done.

If by damage one meant the removal of what the magical society _thought_ as music.

With a single move, Tania and the others gave the people a taste of what real music sounded like, unhindered by the sound of badly tuned instruments and poorly trained voices.

Tania and the music club repeated similar performances, both with and without Demyx. Flitwick had allowed her friend from the 'village' outside the castle to join in on their practice once assured he was only interested in playing music with Tania. Well, that and he barely had any magical training, from what Flitwick could see.

"Derrick" was a delight to teach, even if he was a bit of a slacker. He wouldn't have been too out of place as a Hufflepuff.

Even if it was a bit odd to have Tania ask to keep her 'big brother' secret from the other teachers, save Sprout.


	17. Lockhart the Toad

It didn't take much to weasel out that the mysterious pianist was Tania. Or for there to be multiple requests from the muggleborns for certain songs.

While Tania knew _most_ of the classical songs (courtesy of four years of piano practice before Hogwarts, and her aunt's obsession over a style of music Vernon _hated_ ), she had to hear the modern ones a few times in order to be able to recreate it. She displayed a talent at that particular art. She only had to hear it repeatedly ten times before it automatically started converting itself into piano music that she could play.

After it reached a certain point, Flitwick moved an extra piano she didn't know they had. It wasn't in as good condition as the one in the music room, but it worked.

And after a year of being forced to listen to what the wizards thought music sounded like, Tania took special delight playing what they _should_ sound like.

Needless to say, the Weird Sisters lost quite a few fans.

The only thing that bothered Tania was the uprising in petrification among the students. It had started right after Halloween, but a five from the Hufflepuff house, three of the Ravenclaw and one Gryffindor had been petrified by some force. And not frozen stiff, as one might expect from this world, but petrified in the sense Xion knew. As in turned to stone.

Having a Moogle in the castle made curing such afflictions easy. But all the victims said the same thing.

A white snake-like monster with a strange symbol on it's head and odd patterns on it's hide had hit them with some strange spell, and they remembered nothing after that.

From there, it took little time for Tania to deduce that the basilisk Nobody had retained it's ability to "petrify" through indirect contact. Which meant that anyone unlucky to see it directly was almost certain to become hit with the "Doom" status.

And then it would take very little time for them to die.

It made sense in a twisted sort of way. The phoenix Nobody that kept Maleficent from returning had a burning day recently, removing most of the scars she had inflicted on it. Xion didn't want to test if it had the same healing properties as a phoenix, and Shadow didn't want to offend the massive Nobody by asking to test if he could make Phoenix Down with it's feathers.

Besides, he didn't know _if_ that thing could shed it's feathers.

So it was only natural that a basilisk turned heartless/nobody would retain most of it's abilities, just slightly upgraded.

Shadow was rather pleased, since the incident gave him the perfect excuse to debate healing potions with Madam Pomphrey, the medi-witch. Apparently she mostly got them from Snape, and had been curious as to the 'beast' that was Potter's pet. Especially since he could create potions that were far superior to any she had on hand.

"I still can't believe your pet is better at potions than we are," said Cedric.

" _I'm a Moogle, kupo. There isn't a Moogle alive that would dare leave the community without at least acquiring a trade and getting to the first mastery, kupo. My great uncle Syphied is a Master tinker, and he was the one who sold me my first Gummi ship, kupo,"_ said Shadow proudly. He was an 'Apothecary' type Moogle, and proud of it.

He basically sold potions and occasionally gear he picked up when he visited the Moogle world while exploring junk shops. He was the hundred and fourteenth Apothecary Moogle in his family, and he was proud to say, a Master level Merchant Moogle. It meant he could leave the world and sell his wares in accordance with tradition.

"What's a Gummi ship?" said Hannah.

"A ship that is powered by smiles and happy faces, and can go between realms...so long as you have someone who knows how to fly," said Tania without looking up.

Sora _sucked_ at flying the ship, and as a consequence of being made from his memories and having a good chunk of his powers, Tania was barely tolerable. Shadow had tried to teach her how to fly, but for some reason she couldn't quite get the knack of the controls. If she just had to steer, she could do fine, but ask her to use any of the knobs or buttons and she was lost.

She'd stick to the Corridor, thank you. At least she could control that.

"Seriously?"

"I've learned it better not to question things you really don't want to hear the technical and possibly long winded explanation to," said Tania.

The collective Hufflepuffs considered that, put it in terms of a Ravenclaw explaining how a spell worked in far too much detail, then nodded sagely.

Finishing her book, Tania closed it with a snap and got up.

"Heading to the library in hopes of getting something new to read?" said Susan.

"Yes."

"We'll go with you. Sprout's orders after all," said Cedric.

After the third student attacked, the standing order was that all students had to go in groups of four. No exceptions, no excuses. Even if it was cured rather quickly, it wouldn't take much for the strange stone curse to become a much deadlier one.

Susan, Hannah and Cedric went with her to the library. Once she had something new to read, she ran into someone she would really rather avoid.

Lockhart. The man had become insufferable, and even Shadow had come close to throwing some spells at him to shut the man up.

He might be a merchant, but only an idiot left their realm without at least mastering the basics of combat. And Shadow had been a Black Mage before he realized his true knack for potions and switched to becoming a Merchant.

Tania was not going to suffer his nonsense, so she did something that would shock the other three speechless. She pointed a finger at him, gathered her magic, and used a spell she had only barely finished mastering while training with Merlin.

" _Toad!"_ she said clearly, and an arc of green magic slammed into Lockhart. It wasn't the evil green of the killing curse, but more of a murky swamp green.

Lockhart started to say something, but all that came out was a croak. To the shock of the pure bloods, the man shrank and turned into a rather ugly toad that croaked in shock.

Tania smirked at the transformed professor.

"Maybe if you're nice I'll ask Shadow to share some Maiden's Kiss to turn you back. Until then you'll learn some much needed humility," she said smugly.

"What... how..." stammered Susan.

"That...was... WICKED!" said Hannah.

"I should be deducting points for that, but I can't bring myself to care considering he's caused the collective intelligence of the girls to drop to Gryffindor standards," said Cedric dryly.

"Hey!" said the trio, none of whom had liked the man much.

"Most of the girls," he amended.

"How did you do that?"

"It's a common curse. And I've been wanting to use that on Ron for ages, but I didn't think it would make the message sink in. I have something special planned for that jerk," said Tania ominously.

One more snarky comment from that brat and she was going to drag his red haired ass to the Olympus Coliseum and pay Phil the satyr to give him the "Hero's Special", something that gave even DEMYX nightmares of having to endure. He avoided that world like the plague after what happened last time, and that wasn't counting the incident in Hades' realm.

"I don't want you to be offended by this question, but do you mind girls? Because I think I'm in love," said Hannah.

Tania blinked, before asking Susan who almost had the same stars in her eyes "Are there any taboos on same gender relationships, or having multiple partners?"

"So long as there is a possibility of having children, not really. In fact, it's considered a mark of pride if you have a wife and more than one mistress, provided they produce several children. Considering the ration of girls to boys, you can see where they don't exactly have a taboo against sleeping around so long as the parents are of sufficient breeding," said Susan.

Tania nodded.

"Then no, I'm not against girls, but there is only _one_ male I would ever consider in that context and he's not in the castle."

Xion didn't know if what she felt for Roxas was love, as she had no experience with it, but she trusted him a damn sight more than she did any other boy in the magical communities and that was enough.

There was also the small fact that she had a thing for fighters, and he was the best looking boy her age she had seen. And she did have something to compare it to, because Demyx somehow found a photo of him in something other than the coat, and she had the other girls compare it to the boys in the castle.

The vote was unanimous. He beat every boy save some of the upper years by a landslide. On the plus side she no longer had to explain what he looked like.

"You _have_ to teach me that," said Hannah.

"It depends. Who are you planning on using it on, and how long do you plan on holding the cure over them?"

"It's a Gryffindor a year above us, and that depends on how annoyed I get the next time he makes another comment on the fact I'm _very_ close with Susan and you," said Hannah promptly.

"...McLaggan, or Finnegan?"

"McLaggan," said Susan.

"Then I'll share a copy of the spell. Shadow can sell you the antidote relatively cheap."

Hannah began to cackle in a way that should have worried the only male escorting them, but considering the reasons for it he decided that ignorance was indeed bliss. Then he thought of something.

"Tania, can I get a promise for you that you'll never use that spell on me?"

"You're a nice guy, and your girlfriend can probably turn you back with a kiss anyway...right?" said Tania.

Cedric blushed horribly.

"You're not old enough to talk like that!" he said quickly. But the damage was done. Susan and Hannah were on him like sharks to blood, needling him about positions and where he liked to snog best. Cedric was solid red the entire walk back to the common room.

* * *

Tania was whistling for one reason and one reason only.

Lockhart was stuck as a toad for Christmas, and they were going to the beach again.

"I'm almost afraid to ask what has you in such a good mood," said Petunia.

"I turned a media hound into a toad, and he's stuck like that for the entire holiday. Shadow said he might share the antidote as a belated Christmas present, but no promises."

"...You were going to use a stronger word just now, weren't you?"

"Yes," said Tania without hesitation. "He's really that bad, and I suspect he plagiarizes everything he's _claimed_ to have done."

"Did you get in trouble for it?"

"I was hounded for a solid week from the others on how to do it to people they don't like, and Shadow had an even brisker business than usual selling the antidote," said Tania flatly. "No one liked Lockhart except the more vapid girls."

"What exactly is the antidote?"

"Maiden's Kiss. It's not that hard to make, and it is for a Toad spell after all."

Petunia snorted.

"Strangely, there's been a sudden dip in people being turned to stone and an increase of disappearances from the hornier boys who simply look at girls like objects. It's really weird," said Tania with a straight face.

"...Turned to stone?"

"There's a condition called Petrification that literally turns people to stone, much like Medusa was said to. There is a cure, but Shadow's certainly not complaining because the school had to pay him for it under the table."

"Why?" asked Petunia, honestly curious.

"Pure bloods only consider him a 'beast', despite the fact he was recently classed as a 'being' according to the Ministry. As such, they would look askance if they knew that Dumbledore was forced to pay Shadow for the antidote to the stone curse just to keep the fact that the students are being attacked quiet. I know _what_ is attacking them, but I have no idea _where_ it is otherwise I would have fixed the issue already."

She was going to see Merlin about this, because it was seriously getting out of hand.

"No more magic! This is the holiday, and were were barely able to scrape up enough to pay for a trip to Majorca!" said Petunia.

"You do realize I told the goblins to increase the funding so we _could_ go, right?"

"...Thank you. It made paying off for the renovations so much easier."

"How are the twins?"

"They'll be delighted to see you again. It seems they took to you more than they did me," said Petunia sheepishly.

* * *

Tania spent most of her Christmas either at the beach, taking care of the twins, or visiting with Demyx.

It was when she visited Merlin that she got a shock.

He used his magic to show her how to time travel. Simple stuff, and he had only planned to go forward a few years.

However Xion _and_ Merlin found out the hard way that whatever mysterious power she had inside her, that allowed Nobodies to gain hearts while releasing the ones they contained within, did not mix with time travel.

At all.

Xion counted it as a forewarning of things to come, considering what happened next year.


	18. New powers, old memories

_**Fumes silently. Has anyone else noticed an issue with the reviews page?**_

* * *

Xion had been holding Merlin's scrawny hand, as he had been demonstrating how time travel _should_ be done, instead of with those silly time turners. It was part Christmas present, part lesson.

He wanted to test how she was at maintaining the world order, an important lesson for keyblade masters to learn and one of the most difficult to master for youngsters.

Even though Xion maintained her grip on his hand, she still ended up slipping away in the time stream. One moment she was there, the next her entire body went incorporeal, causing them to separate at the worst time.

She blacked out, only to awaken in her old clothes and feel like she was looking through a filter in her memory.

 _She was being introduced to the Organization. An empty doll that had only one purpose...to insure Sora never awakened and that his Nobody was rendered obsolete._

Time seemed to skip ahead.

 _She was 'worried'. She could no longer summon her keyblade, and she 'feared' that she might be turned to a Dusk soon if they found out._

Again, another jump.

 _She was eating sea salt ice cream off the tower with Axel and Roxas. They had all finished their missions and were enjoying the best part of getting together. They had no idea their time was limited, or that these happy days would soon come to an end._

Now Xion was just plain furious. Without knowing why, she threw out her hand and _reached_. For what, she didn't know. All she knew was that she grasped a handful of what felt like sand and didn't let go of it.

 _ **That's right. As Princess of Nobodies, you have the power to traverse time itself. Be warned...using this power has it's price. For every person or thing you bring back with you, you will lose part of yourself. But take hope, young Princess...for there is a way to restore that which is lost.**_

Xion tried to find the voice. Instead she found an unfamiliar face.

It was a young woman, about as old as Axel at least, with blue hair and clothing. She seemed to be sleeping.

It took Xion some doing, but eventually she figured out how to 'float' over to the woman.

One touch, and she awoke with a start.

"Who... where am I?"

 _ **This is a place that is everywhere and nowhere. The girl that stands before you is the Princess of Nobody. Now you must chose. Will you return to the realm you once called home, or will you go with her and help deliver a blow to the darkness?**_

"How... How long has it been?" asked the woman.

 _ **It has been ten years since you fell. She can give you answers.**_

"I hate to be rude, but who are you?" asked Xion.

"My name...is Aqua. I'm a Keyblade Master."

Xion summoned her own, and Aqua came to a decision right then and there.

"I'll go with her. I could use an apprentice."

Aqua took Xion's hand, and they fell...right in front of Merlin, who had been getting very, very worried about Xion.

* * *

If you had told Yen Sid that he would run into one of his friend's missing apprentices, he would have wondered if you were joking.

Instead, standing in the flesh looking rather shell-shocked, was the missing Aqua. Looking the same as she had when she disappeared into darkness.

Apparently she had made a deal in that shadowy realm to take the "Princess of Nobodies" as Merlin insisted on calling her as her apprentice. As one of the few true Keyblade Masters, she had every right to do so.

Finding out what happened to Ventus and learning of the events with Sora and the others, Aqua really saw no need to return to her previous quest.

Xion had the ability to restore hearts without the need to destroy Nobodies. She could also 'create' a heart in the Greater Nobodies, releasing what was taken.

More importantly, she didn't really know how to use her Keyblade properly. She was barely considered competent.

Which meant Aqua had found her first apprentice.

She didn't have anything better to do, after all.

"So how are we going to get you into Hogwarts?" asked Merlin, stroking his beard.

"That's the easy part. The post for the Defense teacher is always open, and I don't _have_ to remove the Toad curse from Lockhart."

Aqua didn't look sure, but Xion continued on.

"Falsifying your papers is easy. So long as you can cast magic and aren't afraid of the weird curse that gets rid of the Defense teachers every year, you're likely to be hired on the spot. Besides, this means we can discreetly start teaching the students the magic to get rid of the heartless without that pawn knowing."

Aqua twitched.

"As it stands, I'm thinking the pawn of Darkness was behind the heartless last year attacking the great hall last year. I don't see one that big getting into the school without Dumbledore being alerted by the wards. Especially since they're considered the equivalent of the bogeyman to the magicals," said Xion.

"...Let's leave that for next year. It would definitely force that fake headmaster to put his pawn into a different position," said Merlin.

"So your intent is to take this girl on as your apprentice, Aqua?" asked Yen Sid.

Aqua nodded. It was the least she could offer since Xion had unwittingly saved her from that place.

"Very well. I shall acknowledge Titania 'Xion' Potter as a potential Master."

"In the meantime, until Shadow can complete the repairs on his Gummi ship you'll have to stay here Aqua...as I doubt you'd enjoy using the Corridor to get to that world."

What had she gotten herself into?

* * *

Tania had to admit, she rather enjoyed her Christmas vacation, even though she found out with some shock that she had lost a memory about Roxas.

Because their time together as friends had been so fleeting, she treasured each and every single one.

Even if in the end she found someone more than happy to teach her about how to use the keyblade more effectively. And who specialized in magical attacks, which had always been her forte as well.

Still, she had made a point to speak to her aunt about spending her summer with her new teacher rather than most of it with her family.

Oh, she'd still visit and act as a babysitter so her aunt and uncle could go out and have some adult time, but for the most part she would be with Aqua refining her technique and finally having some practice with her weapon.

She wasn't ashamed to admit that she had allowed her fighting ability to become lax. She missed the thrill of combat and defeating heartless.

However it was what she saw upon returning to the school that had her mentally up the plans against Dumbledore, and breaking the chains he had deliberately placed on the magical communities.

Small changes among the youth that people didn't think twice about had big impacts outside the school.

Liberating the girls to modify their robes with 'muggle' items had caused a ripple effect in the fashion world. Graduates came out of the school and stared _spreading_ the idea around to their employers, and because a good chunk of the new students were from muggle-raised families, they gravitated to their stores first.

And with that, business started declining for the older shops. Not a lot, of course, but enough that the muggleborn-run shops were finally standing a chance against the opposition from the pure bloods. They were making a decent living for once.

But more importantly was the fact that Tania had deliberately unlocked something they had been forced to cast aside upon entering Hogwarts. Something indirectly discouraged by the teachers.

Creativity. Imagination. Innovation.

Things people took for granted until suddenly their lives became dull and repetitive.

And without those things, people slowly lost the will to live. To do anything.

It was a small drop in the bucket, but it was one change in the right direction.

Liberating the music was a big risk as well. By introducing modern songs in a way that the pure bloods could appreciate, she was sparking even more creativity and giving them reason to _do something._ Music could be used as a weapon. It could inspire, it could bring hope, it could bridge gaps between young and old.

In short, it was an excellent way to get across to people of all ages.

But right now she had something much more serious to deal with. Namely the attacks of a Nobody with the ability to do more damage than just rendering students into Nobodies.

So she started looking for signs of it's presence. Unsurprisingly, she found nothing. Obviously it had a way of getting around unseen, otherwise the teachers would have known about it when Myrtle was killed.

She had found _one_ entrance, but she was loath to use her keyblade to open it since it required a language she didn't know.

She could of course, set loose a large number of Nobodies to distract the teachers, but that was too risky.

That's when it hit her.

She could take out Dumbledore's fake phoenix and set loose the massive bird from _her_ Castle to cause a distraction.

Grinning, she made up the perfect way to get her hands on the Nobody in the chamber.

* * *

Tania carefully hid her distaste for Dumbledore behind a practiced innocent expression.

"Why exactly am I being given detention again?"

"You refuse to turn Professor Lockhart back into a human, and your 'pet' won't sell the cure," repeated Sprout, also annoyed with Dumbledore's reasoning.

"...It's a _toad_ curse. Just get once of the girls who haven't given their maidenhood up to kiss him and he'll turn back," said Tania incredulous.

"Yes, well, all the girls who fit that criteria refuse to touch him," said Sprout with a cough.

"Well _I'm_ not kissing him," said Tania flatly. "He annoyed me to the point I used a spell I recently mastered on him. Besides we're learning more from his replacement than we ever did with him."

"I'll waive your detention if you reverse the spell," said Dumbledore flatly.

Tania rolled her eyes.

"Weren't the other teachers complaining about him for _weeks_ because he was such a braggart and pretended to know more about their subjects than they did?"

Sprout and Dumbledore were silent, before one of the old headmasters spoke up.

" _She has a point Albus. Besides, how exactly are you going to locate one toad in a school this size?"_ said Phineas Black.

"I'm sure the twins would be delighted to help instead of assisting Mr. Filch clean whatever it is that Peeves has made a mess of this week," said Dumbledore, eyes glinting.

"If you can get the right toad, I'll convince Shadow to part with some Maiden's Kiss to reverse it," said Tania.

She had heard rumors of a _map_ of the school, and she was planning to steal it. If she was right, then the twins had somehow gotten their hands on it...it was the only explanation for why they were able to get to certain areas so quickly.

She had Shadow follow them, as most people had learned to filter out the presence of the Moogle...never mind that his coat made him almost _impossible_ to spot in the poorly lit corridors of the castle.

Besides, he could float on his own. He didn't need to be carried by Tania everywhere, and no one really paid attention to the _pets_ around the school.

How else would one explain why Hagrid had yet to complain about his missing 'dog' Fluffy?

* * *

Shadow spotted the odd parchment, listened to the code words that he wrote down on his notepad, and then waited for the perfect opportunity to strike.

While the twins were distracted with capturing the amphibian, Shadow managed to successfully pilfer the map that Fred had left carelessly hanging out of his pocket.

By the time that the red head found out he had lost the map, they had no idea _where_ it had been dropped.

Shadow floated to the pet-entrance of the Hufflepuff dorms, and went inside. It took him a few brief moments to locate Tania in her room.

" _Mission success, kupo. The password to activate it is_ 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good' _, kupo. To turn it off, say_ 'Mischief managed' _. I doubt they even realize it was stolen from their pocket, kupo."_

"I'm going to need some Maiden's Kiss soon, if only to shut up the headmaster."

" _Can do, kupo. I've had a steady business making that for the witch in charge of the infirmary since you told the other girls how to cast that spell, Kupo."_

Tania was given the rather odd and highly amusing sight of Shadow rubbing his strangely-shaped 'paws' in a classic sign of a merchant who knew that he was about to have a rather thriving business of customers, all because he was around a spell happy witch. One who had little to no hesitation in casting spells that would almost certainly require his wares and would result in him getting some monetary payback on a bunch of inbred idiots who didn't have the first clue what a Moogle was, much less allow one to experiment like it clearly wanted to.

She giggled at the sight.

" _I wonder how your new Master would react to a Moogle that doesn't mind selling his wares in the middle of big boss battles, kupo."_

Shadow was amazed at the fact none of his kin had thought of it before. Sure it was a hassle fighting during those big boss battles that cropped up, and yes it ran the risk of them being crushed by said boss, but the amount of gain for the risk of being in an adventuring party like that and selling his wares on the fly was more than worth it!

Mages like Tania and from what he heard Aqua went through Ethers like there was no tomorrow, and everyone knew monsters always dropped loot after battles. Why not join them and have them buy potions to cast more spells during battle, and gain experience at the same time? It was a win-win!

Plus he could have a rental fee for seating space for anyone outside their group to travel in his Gummi Ship.

Shadow loved being a merchant, even if his pom-pom was generally ruffled by the children here.


	19. Dealing with the Basilisk

Professor Lockhart was _very_ reluctant to be near Tania for prolonged periods of time, even going so far as to give her permission to study that day's work in the library. Some of the boys had seized upon his obvious fear of the cheerful and rather gentlehearted girl by joining her so that she didn't have to study alone.

It was hilarious. It was frustrating for the headmaster.

People would look at Tania, and wonder how on earth Lockhart could _possibly_ be terrified of a girl who was only now starting to properly open up to others despite documented proof she had been withdrawn to the point she was almost like a victim of a dementor.

Then came the incident that would live on as Snape's go-to memory for his patronus for years later.

It had started out so innocently too...

Tania hid under her recently purged invisibility cloak (mostly for the amusement of seeing Lockhart's face when he realized she was _right behind him_ ) when he came into the potion's lab Snape kept for those interested in experimenting with their potions.

Lockhart claimed he wanted to _thank_ the creature for his cure, but what he really wanted to was to get the secrets of the Moogles to make himself even MORE famous.

Shadow, however, was naturally suspicious of the idiot. Snape was busy adjusting his own potions, and wouldn't be able to react in time.

The moment Lockhart realized Shadow wouldn't tell him a thing, he went to obliviate the Moogle. Tania was ten seconds away from taking out her wand when Shadow took matters into his own hands...er, paws.

" _BLIZZARD!"_

The effect was immediate. Lockhart was turned into a living snowman.

Snape stared at Lockhart, then at the Moogle who clearly didn't have a wand on him, because he always took off his coat before working with potions.

" _Darn. I'm out of practice, kupo,"_ said an irritated Shadow, before a vicious grin passed on his face. _"Only one thing for it, kupo. THUNDER!"_

Lockhart yelped, sounding more like a little girl than any man his age ought to, before narrowly dodging Shadow's rather weak lightning bolt.

That was when he saw Tania staring there with a strange smile on her face and a wand in hand. He screamed louder, before running with a suspicious yellow stream going down his leg.

" _That should teach him to harass a black mage, kupo,"_ said Shadow with satisfaction.

"What was that?!" said Snape.

"Magic. Attack magic to be specific," said Tania slowly.

"You. Explain now."

"Well those that use elemental or attack magic like 'fire', 'thunder' or 'blizzard' are called Black Mages. They specialize in dealing magical damage. Those that heal are called 'white mages', and primarily use their healing spells to deal damage to anything considered undead."

"It's not dark arts," said Snape, trying to stave off a migraine.

"If it helps, those that specialize in both 'black' and 'white' magics are called 'red' mages," said Tania helpfully.

"So why can _he_ use it?"

" _Level three black mage, kupo. Was planning to become a time mage when I realized I had a knack for potions and haggling, so I switched to being a Merchant Moogle, kupo. Still remember most of the attack spells, kupo,"_ said Shadow with a shrug.

"Time travel is impossible without the use of time turners," said Snape.

Tania blinked.

"Who said anything about time travel? Time mages manipulate _personal_ time like speeding someone up or slowing them down. And that's just level one stuff," said Tania.

"Right and next thing you'll tell me is that there's a way to remove the dark mark," said Snape.

Shadow blinked.

" _Are you talking about that rather tacky tattoo on your left shoulder, kupo? I thought it felt weird,"_ he said.

"Perhaps Master Merlin might know how to remove it," said Tania, not realizing her error until she saw Snape narrow his eyes at her.

"Merlin died hundreds of years ago."

"Oops. Actually he's not dead, but he does time travel quite a bit. He finds the future rather amusing to visit for his vacations," said Tania. "And that owl I've been using to deliver letters? That's his."

"Preposterous."

"How about this. Do you know where I live?" said Tania.

"I'd heard rumors Dumbledore put you with Petunia, but I'm hoping they're just that," said Snape, shuddering.

"Aunt Petunia realized if she wanted more kids after being told having Dudley had done too much damage to her body, she would have to adopt. And in order to do that, she had to prove she was capable of raising children not her own. The fact I wasn't really an active or aware person until I got my letter, and my magic rarely if ever showed signs meant she had very little reason to ostracize me growing up. She's the one who got me into piano music and a limited amount of gymnastic classes. She made a point to put me into as many activities as she could so that I could hopefully find something I enjoy. Vernon just didn't care."

Snape seemed relieved to hear that her aunt had put aside her anger with Lily to raise her daughter properly. He remembered Petunia vividly.

"Did you know my aunt?"

"We lived on the same street growing up. I used to be friends with your mother until I let my anger get the better of me and said something I shouldn't have. Shortly after she started dating James," admitted Snape. "In any case, what does that have to do with anything?"

"Well Shadow's Gummi Ship is almost ready to fly again, and Master Aqua really doesn't like the Corridor of Darkness. Though I'm sure you won't react as badly as she did when she tried to walk through it."

"...I'm not going to ask. How are you going to deal with the basilisk?"

"It's not a basilisk. At least not a normal one. I just have to find the entrance or cause a big enough distraction to open it using a special trick I have, and it will be dealt with. And give Dumbledore more headaches. I will say this though. When I'm done I'll have almost all of Slytherin behind me, including those that graduated already."

It wasn't spoken of publicly, let alone discussed, but the Slytherins were craving a true heir to follow. Either to gain power or glory.

Voldemort had managed to get a good chunk of the old bloods with the fact he was related to Slytherin, but when he failed time and time again to produce the special weapon that only the true heir of Slytherin could use, which _was_ documented and a replica of it on a statue of Slytherin in their common room, they slowly started to realize they'd been had.

It was the main reason why he targeted the Potters. He knew he had to gain control quickly or his forces might decide to leave. Oh, some of them might stick around, but the bulk of them would drop out of his group.

"You know what Slytherin's Inheritance is," said Snape, using the official title for the weapon.

"I do. If I'm lucky I might be able to earn it's trust. After all... I'm already qualified to use others like it."

"Be careful. I've already lost your mother...losing you as well might end up killing me."

"I will. Just don't freak out if Fluffy comes and leads the other teachers on a merry chase before disappearing into the forest."

She had originally thought of using the massive phoenix to distract the teachers, but she realized that might give Dumbledore a clue as to _who_ kept summoning the Dusks.

Fluffy, however, was the next best thing because he had been missing for months and no one could definitively state _where_ the dog had disappeared to. For all they knew, he had gotten loose and had been wandering the forest.

"I would like to restate my earlier comment. I don't want to know."

* * *

Tania timed her distraction perfectly. She had let the basilisk Nobody run around far too long as it was.

It was the last Hogsmeade weekend of the year, and most of the students were trying to put off studying for one last day before they really cracked down on it.

It started with a rumbling, the feel of something heavy charging through the forests towards the school.

Cerberus knew his job was only to scare, not attack. If it got too dangerous he was to run towards the forests before disappearing through the same corridor Tania used. For some reason it didn't affect the massive three headed hound.

Likely a gift from Maleficent to Hades, or something the lord of the dead did himself.

The second people registered what it was that was running through the forests, they started screaming. Everyone's attention was fully on the full-grown Cerberus that was running amok and causing a scare among the students. Most people actually missed the Moogle riding on the dog's back, right on the neck of the middle head. Tania had loaned him her invisibility cloak so he could have a bit of fun, and to make sure Cerberus didn't hurt anyone.

With everyone, especially Dumbledore distracted, Tania made her way to the second floor bathroom.

Myrtle hadn't moved on to the next life, but had rather taken up Jack Skellington's offer to move to Halloweentown full time. She was sick of being called Moaning Myrtle and laughed at by Peeves. She was much happier being out of the castle and scaring the devil out of people on Halloween by shrieking at them after crashing through the toilets.

Even Jack admitted it was the first time he'd heard someone scream so loud when it wasn't him doing the scaring.

Tania walked up to the one sink that Myrtle could never get to work, and summoned her keyblade. In her other hand was her broom.

Since the Nimbus 2001 series came out, the 2000 series had dropped to a much more reasonable price.

She rarely used it to fly though. After returning briefly to Wonderland, she had gotten a second dose of Tinkerbell's pixie dust. Because of how magically charged the school was, she could fly to a certain degree using that. She couldn't go higher than the very lip of the walls where it opened up for the adults on the Quidditch towers, but considering other worlds she could barely hover a little over twenty feet, it was still a decent height.

However for what she had planned, it was better to use her keyblade, rather than the one that allowed flight outside Neverland.

If she was right and the remaining pieces of the keyblade that had been used as her core were in the chamber, then she would need her hand free to gain it's loyalty.

Unlike Roxas and to some extent Sora, she couldn't dual-wield. Her specialty was being able to cast magic in a cost-effective manner, instead of pure sword-skills like Roxas.

Leveling her keyblade at the sink, she saw a light come off the tip of the blade, and as she turned it she heard a distinct 'click' as the sink reacted.

She was originally planning to fly down, but to her shock a spiral staircase appeared instead.

It was still faster to fly though.

She went deep, deep into the caves beneath the school. As she flew, she saw an old snake skin, giving her an idea of what the serpent had looked like before turning into a Nobody.

Her eyes narrowed in suspicion when she realized that the inner door to the sanctum was already open...and there was someone hissing inside.

Before she had time to react at this new information, she was hit from behind by a stunner.

* * *

Tom Riddle was pleased, and more than a little confused as to how the Potter brat had managed to get down here when she wasn't a parselmouth.

The odd albino basilisk was ready to eat her should she fail to produce any useful information.

When the brat awoke, she seemed surprised, then irritated that Tom had possessed Ginny Weasley.

"Really? Out of all the people you _had_ to pick, it was one of the few I won't loose much sleep over if I accidentally hex them?" she muttered.

Tom smirked.

"Impressive, for a pathetic Hufflepuff. Almost Slytherin of you," said Tom.

"As opposed to you?" said Tania, snarkily.

She spent far too much time with her Aunt Petunia when she was in full gossip mode. When her aunt got snippy, she got rather ruthless in finding faults. Tania had seen her reduce weaker willed women to tears with a few well placed barbs in less than a minute.

Tom lifted an eyebrow at the way she countered. It was almost like she was a Slytherin rather than some weak willed Hufflepuff.

Unseen by the shade, Tania had managed to work the ropes to the point she was clutching the keyblade fragment from her wand. There was a reason she wore it like an unusual bracelet most days.

"What I want to know is why a pathetic Hufflepuff _dares_ to violate the inner sanctuary of Salazar Slytherin himself!" said Tom angrily. He already felt disgusted that he had brought a _Gryffindor_ into the chamber.

"Because I happen to have a stronger claim on Slytherin's Inheritance than you do, you pathetic poser," said Tania, using the full brunt of her Aunt's worst snark on him. She had only been refining it with repeated exposure to Professor Snape, and she found it hilarious that he had helped her learn how to reduce people to tears with a single sentence.

She was due to move on to the next level of that particular skill. Reducing the weaker willed to tears with a single look. It was something no one would every expect to come from a _Hufflepuff_ , and Snape was gleeful to know that she'd be using it mostly on the Gryffindors.

As a result of their disdain towards the 'innocent' Tania, who had never once instigated any attacks on her person, the other three houses had promptly turned against Gryffindor.

In the same way that the three houses had more or less declared Slytherin the house of dark wizards and pure blood fanatics, Tania had turned that attitude against the house of the brave and brash.

From the house of the brave to the house of the worst bullies in the school, they were starting to realize their error in going after Titania Potter.

McGonagall's star was on a steady decline, whereas Snape's was on a slow incline. He never thought in a million years that the students would like him more than Minerva.

"You? You're the daughter of a mudblood and a long line of _Gryffindors_. How could you, a pathetic half-blood who was sorted into the house of rejects have a stronger claim to Slytherin's Inheritance?!" snarled Tom.

"Why don't I show you," said Tania, sneering right back at him. She cut through the ropes, and grabbed her actual wand from a hidden holster that he missed. Tom's eyes widened, as he spat towards the relief in the back in parseltongue.

The mouth slowly opened, revealing a hidden opening.

Tania threw out her hand, as the keyblade fragment glowed a luminescent black. That was when she heard the sound. It was the sound of something cutting through the air from deep within the opening of the relief.

The very chamber seemed to resonate with the sound, which had Tom staring at her wide eyed.

"NO! NO!"

The fragment shone even brighter as something seemed to judge Tania...no, this was Xion now. Then there was the sound of shattering glass as the fragment shattered. But in the drifting bits of blackened light, something else had formed in Xion's waiting hand.

A Keyblade, whole and ready for use once more.

Xion could feel the name of the blade resonating in her soul.

"Mirage Split, Reality Shift," she spoke aloud. The Keyblade seemed to _hum_ in her bones, as if it accepted her claim.

"NO! NO! HOW DARE YOU CLAIM SLYTHERIN'S INHERITANCE!"screamed Riddle in fury. Not even he could get the blade to move from inside the chamber! It always disappeared and returned to the rock!

Tom's rant was almost interrupted by the sound of scales moving on rock. His fury turned to rage-filled triumph...for exactly ten seconds.

The massive basilisk Nobody scented the air with it's tongue... before calmly curling around Xion. She petted it's head.

"NO!"

"Your claim on Slytherin's name has henceforth been revoked," said Xion flatly. She took Mirage Split and stabbed the odd book in Ginny's pale hands.

Ink and foul magics spilled from the book. Xion took the initiative and the second Ginny started to waken, she had the serpent Nobody petrify her before she could noticed her.

Using the corridor, she sent the snake on to the World That Never Was until she could free the serpent from the curse of being a Nobody. Then she took Ginny's unconscious body to the upper levels, after sending her broom back to her room in the castle.

She made it look like she had found the girl in the halls, and was levitating her to the hospital wing. Once in the care of Pomphrey, Tania shot off a ball of fire from one of the windows. Shadow promptly directed Cerberus towards the forest, where they disappeared from sight.

That done, she went back to her room in the Hufflepuff dorms and promptly collapsed on the bed, where she took a nap until a prefect woke her up.

Apparently the Aurors were performing an overdue inspection since people found out a _pure blood_ had been attacked, rather than a half-blood or muggleborn. That plus the rampaging Cerberus meant Dumbledore was now on thin ice with the Board of Governors.


	20. Laying down the law with the Snakes

Daphne was curious as to why Tania wanted to address the entire Slytherin house. She suspected it had something to do with why she saw a brief glimpse of a familiar red pom pom on the rampaging Cerberus Hagrid had so _affectionately_ called 'Fluffy'.

"Alright Potter, you have our attention. What was so bloody important that you insisted the _entire_ house be present?" demanded Draco.

Even Professor Snape was present, as was Draco's father Lucius. Mostly because he had caught wind of the gathering while delivering an order of suspension to Dumbledore earlier.

Tania said nothing, but instead flung out her right hand theatrically.

To the shock of the Slytherin's gathered, who expected _nothing_ to happen, a familiar weapon appeared.

"Slytherin's Inheritance," said Daphne reverently. Soon similar whispers began filtering through the house.

"Impossible! Why would a mere half blood Hufflepuff have Slytherin's Inheritance?!" said Lucius, shocked beyond anger.

Tania's smile was nothing but predatory as she patted her left hand with the keyblade.

"Who said a true Slytherin had to go into the house of the serpents? Anyone with real cunning and wit would know to hide in the one place no one would expect to find them," said Tania smoothly, her voice like silken steel.

Several of the other students nodded in approval at her words.

"Why Hufflepuff though?" said Daphne.

"Gryffindor is firmly in the pocket of McGonagall. And everyone knows she's so firmly stuck up Dumbledore's arse that she can see daylight. She's a mere puppet for him. Ravenclaw is good, but their curiosity makes it hard to hide secrets long enough to avoid detection. Slytherin has had a bad reputation from the start, and being here is almost tantamount to declaring your loyalties. Hufflepuff... now Hufflepuffs are full of mostly neutral families, and those that have loyalty practically _bred_ into them. And as any good strategist can tell you, the best way to win a battle, whether it's political or an actual fight is to gain control of the neutrals," said Tania sensibly.

Lucius stared at her, suddenly understanding why she made the perfect Slytherin hiding in plain sight. He could feel approval for her strategy, and admitted she was better at it than Dumbledore ever was.

"Who's side are you on?" he asked carefully.

"My side. Dumbledore isn't as light as he's been claiming for years, and he's allowed a rot to entrench itself in this world. Voldemort was fanatical and while I agree that some of the older traditions should be observed and protected, I disagree with the way he handled it. Killing off entire families down to the last child is a good way to insure that the knowledge of the old ways is permanently lost, never mind the fact that he was essentially making it harder to preserve the so-called 'pure' blood as he was claiming. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against pure bloods or their ways...but the way you've been allowing yourselves to marry your own cousin is the reason why the number of squibs has been going up. It will eventually get to the point that you'll lose your magic entirely," said Tania.

"What would you suggest? Marry muggles?" said Draco sneering.

Tania rolled her eyes.

"How about marrying outside the established European lines? Bring some new blood in, even if it's from outside Europe. That way you'll keep your preference for marrying into the established magical lines without thinning it out so much that the magic won't take."

Lucius could see her idea, and almost nodded in approval. Marrying foreign bloods was a much better alternative to being forced to marry _muggleborns_. And the European stocks had almost been tapped out anyway.

"So you just wanted us here to show that you're going to establish a pecking order, Potter?" said Nott.

"No. I wanted to prove to you I'm not under Dumbledore's thumb when he finally does something that pisses me off enough that I call him out on his bullshit. If I'm going to take that senile manipulative fake out, I'm going to need something to counter the Gryffindors and everyone else he's fooled. Especially those like McGonagall and Hagrid, who fully believe that the sun shines out of Dumbledore's arse," said Tania flatly.

Lucius and Snape straightened. This wasn't her telling them that she was now the true Heir of Slytherin, or trying to force them under her thumb out of reverence to that fact.

This was her telling them that eventually she would call the Slytherins to arms and deal with the so-called Light Lord Dumbledore.

This was a warning that she would one day call them to a war.

Lucius shared a look with Snape. They were going to have a long, awkward talk after this.

* * *

 _In Snape's personal office..._

"What do you know of Titania Potter?" said Lucius. He had barely paid her any attention when she contacted his wife. He didn't even rate her as anything but another potential pawn of Dumbledore as Narcissa and her sister Andromeda trained her in the way of the Blacks.

Now he saw her as a potential ally, or at least a force he should watch carefully.

"I know that if Dumbledore ever caught a hint of how dangerous she is to him, he wouldn't hesitate to do everything in his power to kill her," said Snape without hesitation. "I know that she has sparked _actual_ change in our society without raising too many ripples that would get her killed."

Snape looked at Lucius, his eyes serious.

"I know that if it came to siding with the Dark Lord or Dumbledore, I would join her side without any hesitation whatsoever, no matter what my loyalties were before."

Lucius nodded.

"I never expected a _Potter_ to be the one who gained Slytherin's Inheritance, much less be brazen enough to tell the entire Slytherin house that she would one day call them to arms in order to rid our world of Dumbledore. She doesn't have the same dark charismatic presence he did...but she's certainly a more dangerous threat than I anticipated."

Going into Hufflepuff to hide from sight and gain control of the neutrals from the start...it was a plan that was Ravenclaw worthy in intelligence, and Slytherin worthy for what she wanted to use it for.

She was brave, he had no doubt about that, but it was the real thing and not the one currently in Gryffindor.

And she was entirely correct about how the lions were so firmly in Dumbledore's camp it was a fruitless endeavor to try and pry some loose. At least not this early anyway.

It didn't help that the Weasleys were now firmly against her. After the display in Diagon during the annual shopping spree, she had set them all to task and made an enemy of Molly Weasley in the same move. The way she countered the woman's attack on her was flawless.

And he had little doubt she had a way to deal with both Weasley parents if she had to.

Lucius chuckled darkly.

"It's clear that whatever Potter blood she has, the Black blood has bred true. More so than it ever had in her father, much less in Sirius," said Lucius.

Snape snorted. Because really, Lucius was understating matters. When he put things like that, Tania's actions did fall in line more with how a true Black would handle things than a Potter would.

The Potter family was full of aurors and ward masters.

The Blacks were older, more devious and were very nasty if pissed off. The only reason they weren't a force of nature anymore was because at some point their family began a slow decline that ended with the arrest of Sirius Black. Yes, Narcissa and Andromeda were Blacks as well, but they were considered extensions of their husbands at this point.

"Perhaps now would be the perfect time to discreetly send Tania into Gringotts to formally claim the Slytherin name, as well as claim her status as the Black Heir."

Lucius smirked. It was a solid plan. What better way to earn favor with such an interesting witch than to help her gain her rightful inheritance before Dumbledore had the wit to close it off? Especially before he discovered exactly how much he would stand to lose once Titania Potter firmly stepped out of the shadow he cast on the school?

* * *

Tania looked over the massive serpent Nobody. It was sane again, as being locked up for centuries was _never_ good on anyone's sanity unless they slept through most of it. It had recognized her as it's Master, mostly because she was the Princess of Nobodies and was close enough to a Greater Nobody to make little to no difference.

After the events of the school year, Dumbledore was on such thin ice it wasn't funny. He was going to have to spend the entire summer doing damage control, and it didn't help that during Fawkes' burning day the bird had somehow gone missing despite being a fight-less fledgling at the time. Without his phoenix by his side, it was going to be even harder to convince people he was in fact as light as he was painted.

Add to that the fact no one could find the rampaging "Fluffy", the fact that the attacks had ended with the petrification of a _pure blood_ who was one of Dumbledore's staunchest supporters, and the fact that the Slytherins were not so discreetly socializing more than normal... he was going to be busy.

Too busy to realize Tania was subtly moving him into a corner where his only action was to reveal to the entire world how big of a fake he was.

Right now her concern was the snake.

"Do you want to be a normal basilisk again, or do you want to just be a Nobody with a basilisk Somebody out there?"

The Nobody hissed, and as a side effect of claiming Slytherin's Keyblade (thus becoming the true heir according to magical customs) she understood it perfectly.

She was now a parselmouth.

 _~I want to be whole again...~_ said the snake sadly. It didn't want to be empty anymore.

Xion nodded sadly, and summoned Mirage Split to her hand. The basilisk stayed perfectly still as she lowered the blade and destroyed it. She was crying, as she hated killing other Nobodies, even if it was a relief for them.

Above, Kingdom Hearts shined even brighter, and where the flecks of light descended, a form began to take shape.

Within a minute, an adult basilisk formed. It's heartless had been destroyed long ago, and with it's Nobody released from it's pain, it was once again whole.

 _~Thank you, Mistress,~_ it hissed, curling around her. Thanks to the long established familiar bond, it's eyes could no longer harm her. And it remembered everything. She scratched an eyelid.

"Do you have a proper name?"

 _~No Mistress, though he used to call me Tia as a joke.~_

"Likely a reference to Tiamat, the goddess of chaos."

Tania sighed.

"Do you want to stay here? I know the Nobodies will leave you alone," said Tania. The snake hissed.

Like Cerberus, the newly named Tiamat (Tania would just call her Tia for short) found the World That Never Was very appealing.

Namely because she could move around without having to worry about wizards trying to kill her.

With her new 'pet' situated...she really seemed to be gathering an unintentional menagerie...Tania returned to her room in Privet drive.

She had lessons with Aqua over the summer, and they still hadn't figured out a way to forge most of her qualifications so she could successfully infiltrate the school.

* * *

Two days into summer vacation, Tania had an unexpected visitor in the form of Snape. He at least knew how to dress appropriately.

"Professor Snape?"

"Hello, Severus," said Petunia calmly, if icily.

"I'm here to see Tania, Petunia. If we do this right then we'll have successfully cut off several avenues of control from Dumbledore," said Snape tiredly.

Petunia blinked, before looking at Tania.

"What is this about?"

"Dumbledore got my mother killed with his stupidity, and he's not what everyone thinks he is. However if he finds out I know the truth, he'll have me killed despite losing an important figure. Or worse, he'll use my death to turn me into a martyr and do even more damage."

"Which is why we're going to cut him off before he has a chance to get his claws into you."

Petunia's lips went into a thin line.

"This will not bring any harm to Tania, will it?"

"Far from it. We're going to insure she claims her full inheritance before the old goat thinks to block it. And if we do it correctly, we might claim another before it's cut off by another pawn."

Sirius Black was in Azkaban without a trial. If he got loose and proved his innocence, then he could cut Tania off the Black family fortune, or try to seize guardianship of her. As head of the Black family he legally could.

"Who's going with us?"

"The Malfoys. Lucius and his wife will be there to insure things are carried out correctly."

An idea occurred to her.

"I might have a proposition that Mr. Malfoy would be eager to hear. It will _really_ piss off Dumbledore once he finds out about it too."

Lucius had a lot of pull with the board of governors. Once Aqua could prove she could kill Heartless with only magic...wandless magic at that, they'd jump at the chance to have her as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, even without the same magical qualifications that were required.

It also meant that she could become Tania's magical guardian by officially having her labeled as her 'magical apprentice', thus cutting off that method of gaining control over her.

"Just be sure to visit often," said Petunia finally.

"I heard Uncle Vernon talking to 'Aunt' Marge. I think she's planning another visit," said Tania.

Petunia winced. She _hated_ Marge...and she absolutely loathed Ripper.

"If she does come, you have my full permission to avoid the house," said Petunia.


	21. Molly Weasley's Final Gambit

As Tania had predicted, one demonstration of _real_ magic against Heartless and the fact she would be willing to teach the basics to the students still attending Hogwarts had been enough to convince the Board of Governors to ignore her 'lack of credentials'.

She was clearly a 'witch' if she used magic, muggle-repelling wards had zero effect on her, and she was someone who had zero connection to Dumbledore personally. Besides, rumor had it that Dumbledore was planning to hire a werewolf, and there was no way in hell they were going to let that slide with someone they considered acceptable. Lockhart had done enough damage, thank you very much.

The news that Aqua "Wayfinder" had chosen Tania to be her official apprentice to learn her _personal_ spells which she wouldn't teach to casual students had been met with little argument.

Tania went into Gringotts with Narcissa and Andromeda. She had met with them often enough that seeing them together wouldn't raise any eyebrows.

Once they were past the main hall, the older witches found it rather disquieting how the goblins lined up in a respectful manner, before leading them straight to the branch manager/king.

The goblins were _never_ respectful to humans. Ever.

Both the older Blacks hung back a bit as Tania spoke with Ragnok.

"I must say it's a delight having a proper Keyblade wielder around to deal with those pesky heartless. And you've gained control over those Nobodies quite admirably."

Tania smiled.

"They already knew me, and I can relate to them enough that they respect me."

"Indeed. And with the successful claim on Salazar's lost keyblade, you've effectively taken control over the inheritance he left behind. I assume you've dealt with the familiar?"

"It's been relocated to someplace it will be free to wander about without doing any harm."

"Now about your claim on the Black vaults. I'm afraid that unless Sirius Black is given a trial or killed off, it's impossible for us to review it," said Ragnok.

"Wait, what do you mean given a trial?!" said Andromeda.

"Sirius Black's case file clearly states he as 'detained, pending trial'. There are no records in the DMLE or any Ministry department pertaining to the courts of him ever receiving any form of trial for the crime of betraying the Potters. As such, we cannot release the vaults without a proper conviction or proof of death," said Ragnok. "We can however release the Slytherin vaults, as Ms. Potter here has the key required to open them. He was quite thorough in locking them so that only someone with his keyblade could open them."

The Black sisters were confused, but Tania nodded in approval.

"I should warn you though, that if you open the vaults Dumbledore will be aware that there is a keyblade wielder in the castle and that the lost blade has been found."

"Perhaps we should wait on that until we've dealt with Sirius," said Narcissa in distaste.

"Yes, but before that... we need to insure that Miss Wayfinder is officially and legally Tania's magical guardian. Otherwise if Sirius is cleared, then he might try to make an attempt to remove her from her aunt's home," said Andromeda with distaste.

It wasn't the miscarriage of justice that worried her. She was more concerned about Sirius trying to corrupt Tania into trusting Dumbledore. He had always been a little too trusting of the old wizard, and he might well be as staunch a supporter as McGonagall or Hagrid.

And that simply wouldn't do at all.

"And who is Miss Wayfinder?"

"A Keyblade Master who agreed to take me on as her apprentice," said Tania.

"...If you can bring her in we can set her up with the old vaults dedicated to Keyblade Masters. We might have had the keyhole sealed during the war, but we still kept the vaults active."

"I'll let her know."

* * *

Aqua viewed Diagon with distaste. At least she didn't have to get a wand, as Merlin had helped her forge something that would pass inspection and allow her to use the same spells Tania had been learning for two years now.

Still, she had a job to do and to insure Xion became her apprentice in this world she had to visit the bank.

Her outfit drew some raised eyebrows, but thanks to Tania's efforts...and the fact she had reluctantly borrowed one of the coats that protected the wearer from the Corridor of Darkness (she could not _wait_ for Shadow's Gummi Ship to be fully repaired)... no one gave her more than a second glance.

Once she walked into the bank, she was ushered past the normal witches and wizards. The moment the view was blocked from the normal traffic, she found herself surprised by an honor guard of the Goblin warriors.

They were lined up like knights along the wall.

"This way, Master Aqua," said the goblin guide. His name was Griphook, if she remembered his introduction.

"Why did they line up like that?"

Griphook barely refrained from sneering.

"The _wizards_ might have been forced to forget about the Keyblade wielders and their fight against the dark forces of the heartless and Nobodies, but we have not. Goblins always recognize warriors, and it's a sign of mutual respect," he explained. "We also do our best to alert the other fledgling keyblade bearers about the existence of other worlds, as most are too weak or easily corrupted to withstand the darkness currently seeping through this world. Better to send them out to gain some experience away from _his_ manipulations than to give the Darkness a single keyblade."

Tania was the first one who they didn't warn about Dumbledore, because they automatically recognized her as something new. Besides, the likelihood of the Darkness corrupting her was minimal at best.

"Welcome Master Aqua. My name is Ragnok, the branch manager and king of England's Gringotts."

"Hail and well met, Lord Ragnok," said Aqua politely, using the older greeting.

"Hail and well met. I must admit, it's a genuine pleasure to have a true Keyblade Master in this world once more. After Salazar's death, the number of keyblade bearers has dropped significantly. I understand you wish to take Ms. Potter as your new apprentice?"

"First apprentice, actually. And yes. She managed to rescue me from the sea of darkness by accident, so it seems only fair I should train a very eager and willing keyblade wielder how to use her powers effectively. Besides, if Merlin is correct, she's going to need all the help she can get stabilizing this world so that it doesn't fall to the Darkness."

"Indeed. Now, as a true Master you are granted all the rights and vaults of the Keyblade Masters that have come here before the keyhole was sealed away. As the last _true_ Keyblade Master to have come to this world, Salazar Slytherin made certain to hide the hole in the place he frequented most, before leaving his familiar to guard it. Now that the location has lost it's guardian, you should keep a close eye on the entrances."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Aqua took one look at the 'clothes' that were considered common for witches and opted instead to keep the coat Tania had given her.

No way in hell was she wearing those things, preservation of the world order be damned! Besides, she still had to borrow enough apprentice books from Merlin and Master Yen Sid so she could teach the children.

* * *

Luna was having a good day. She had recently unlocked the secret trunk her mother left regarding their ancestor's _true_ magical ability.

Her father had descended from an ancient line of blue mages, and Luna was an accomplished one herself. Their little jaunts around the world to find unusual creatures was a cover for her apprenticeship...well that and they really did enjoy seeking out creatures people had only heard stories of.

Though not even her father managed to gain the ability to Petrify someone. He generally avoided such monsters.

Luna gained it shortly after being hit with the basilisk's Nobody, only to awaken with it in her spell repertoire shortly after being found.

However she had always wanted to find a way to open the trunk her mother left which had her family's magical talent.

Summoning. She had taught Luna how to summon Ifrit and Shiva, but that was it before her death.

And Luna had no doubt that with Xion's help (she was the only one who called her by the girl's real name imprinted on her soul) she would be able to learn the rest, perhaps even Phoenix!

She just couldn't believe that the key to the lock was using "Firaga" on the stupid thing. Then again, who would consider blasting a trunk with one of the higher level fire spells without fearing the chance of accidentally destroying the contents?

Luna carefully opened the trunk...and the first thing she found was a letter from her mother. By the time she finished reading it, she was crying.

And her desire to help Xion take Dumbledore out only solidified.

It wasn't an accident. Not by a long shot. She remembered that day, how Molly Weasley just happened to visit and 'accidentally' left one of her serving dishes behind. It wasn't until later when her father did some digging that he found the serving dish had some sort of obscure spell that caused magic to spike out in response to the ambient energy in the air. Once it reached a certain point, it would send out a dangerous wave of energy.

The sort of energy that would be more than enough to disrupt someone experimenting with charms, thus causing the explosion that killed her mother in the first place.

Apparently her mother Selene had become suspicious about Dumbledore's phoenix, or he had seen her destroy a heartless with one of the old spells. Enough to know she was a threat.

And Dumbledore it seemed, would allow no such threats to his attempted takeover of the magic in this world.

Luna cried for her mother, as she had been yet another victim in that fake wizard's plot to ensure that the Light lost this world.

However when she went to tell her father the news, she paused in the doorway when she saw who was there.

Molly Weasley. She had this expression on her face that said volumes of what she was there for.

Luna knew better than to trust the woman. She was too firmly in Dumbledore's pocket. Instead she went back to her room, shrank the trunk her mother left her and any personal belongings, then dashed past the witch and the auror with her. She grabbed a decent handful of floo powder, and yelled "Malfoy Manor!"

She was gone before they had the wit to stop her.

* * *

 _In Malfoy manor..._

The second Narcissa saw her husband's niece, she gathered up the crying girl in her arms.

"What happened?"

"Molly Weasley and an auror I know is in Dumbledore's pocket were at the house. She _knows_ my father explicitly banned her from the house after what happened to mother."

"Where is he?" asked Narcissa.

"He was going to one of the lesser alleys for potions ingredients. We were going to Bora Bora for creature hunting next week," said Luna.

Narcissa held her niece/cousin.

"I'll set Lucius to find out where he is. Until then you can stay here or ask Tania if she'd be willing to let you visit with her."

"I wouldn't mind visiting Tania," said Luna.

It took four hours, but the news was very grim. An unknown assailant had run across Luna's father...and without any provocation at all had murdered him with the killing curse. The Aurors were already looking for the killer, but there was little hope seeing as how random it was and the way the witnesses clammed up so fast.

More than that though, was the fact that Molly Weasley had so quickly applied to be Luna's guardian, purely based on the fact that her daughter was 'friends' with the 'poor girl'.

Luna barely tolerated Ginny, and she had made a point to avoid their house after what happened to her mother.

Lucius was the second cousin of Selene, due to the fact she was his father's niece from his younger sister. Which meant he had first claim on Luna.

Considering Luna was openly close to Tania Potter, and the fact that Tania openly admitted to seeing the girl as a younger sister, there was no doubt where she would end up.

Which meant they just had to stall until the goblins processed the paperwork.

* * *

"She tried to do _what?_ " said Tania, her voice as warm as glacial ice.

"Molly is making a very concentrated effort into adopting Luna. The fact she's doing it before the news is officially made public just confirms the fact that the entire thing was a set up to get to Luna," said Narcissa angrily.

"A very poor one at that," said Tania. "Are we sure that he was killed with the killing curse?"

"The aurors confirmed it without a shadow of doubt, and the witnesses were very clear about the color of the spell."

"I'm sorry Luna. If he had been attacked by a heartless, then we might have been able to bring him back. But it's impossible with that curse. That spell is an abomination of magic."

"You sound like you know that from personal experience," said Narcissa.

Tania closed her eyes.

"I know _exactly_ what that spell does. And it's not a curse designed just to kill the victims. It's designed to destroy them so completely that the only part of them that's left is a physical body."

She had the rapt attention of everyone in the room.

"The killing curse does more than stop the heart or physically kill the victim. It destroys their heart and soul to the point that there is no chance of them ever being reborn."

"How did you survive then?" asked Narcissa.

Tania looked around the room. The room they were in was devoid of portraits, had been specially enchanted to keep any listening charms from sticking. However...she didn't trust these people enough to say the truth.

"There's a reason I call her Xion, not Tania," said Luna.

Narcissa looked at her niece with confusion, before she realized what she was saying.

"Possession?"

"More like a mutually beneficial agreement. In exchange for taking her place, the original soul and her parents were given a second chance at reincarnation, rather than oblivion. And it's not _entirely_ possession because I absorbed the fragments of what was left," admitted Xion.

"In the eyes of magic, blood and soul she is Titania Potter. The original soul might have been shredded beyond repair, but the replacement has long since become the owner of the body. If it dies, she dies," said Luna with her usual dreamy voice.

"Sounds like a higher authority interfered to the point that it quit being possession and went straight to rebirth in an already living body. Exactly what in magic's name did you do to get that sort of attention brought upon you?"

Xion shrugged.

"I _was_ a Replica. Something created solely for the purpose of denying the return of Somebody important. However that would harm someone I cared for very much, so I chose to sacrifice myself so that they would survive. As a result, they ended up sacrificing themselves to avert the rise of the same Darkness that has seeped into Lost Avalon."

"And who was this mystery person?" asked Narcissa.

"Her soul mate. The boy she chose to sacrifice herself for was the Nobody of a powerful keyblade wielder. Ironically it seems the story has been leaking through the muggle world, because they made a game out of it to the point that several sequels have been made."

"...What kind of games?"

"Let's just say if Draco found out how clever muggles were, he'd get hooked pretty quick," said Tania dryly. Then her face went impassive. "Still the fact that she was so quick to offer her home to Luna reeks of a poorly executed set-up. I do believe it's time to enact one of my many unpleasant contingency plans for Dumbledore's supporters."

Narcissa perked up, all thought of whether Tania was in fact the real one gone from her head.

"Do tell..."

When it was time for dinner, Narcissa was in full "Black Revenge" mode.

Molly had this coming for _years_.


	22. Tania's Revenge and the Fall of Weasley

It took very little time for Luna to be placed under the guardianship of Aqua Wayfinder. If she was good enough for the "Girl-Who-Lived", then she was more than adequate for the recently orphaned witch. The fact Tania added on top of that by making her a full member of the Potters meant that they had effectively blocked any chance of Dumbledore or his pawns from gaining control of the young Blue Mage.

But that wasn't the biggest scandal of the summer.

Oh no, the fact Luna was now a Potter and her guardian was a relative unknown was a mere _blip_ on the newspaper's radar.

The biggest news was when Tania walked into the Wizangamot during one of the boring meetings after she properly claimed the Potter and Slytherin seats...and then declared in her most formal voice that she had a vote of no confidence in Arthur Weasley's claim on the title as "Head of the Weasley Family".

There was stone silence, followed by an uproar from the pure bloods.

Claiming that she suspected Arthur Weasley was under the control of someone else was a major deal. It meant she suspected his status as Head of the family had been compromised...and that put all of his investigations and his status as head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts office in question.

More than that, Tania had almost blatantly declared war on the Weasley family.

Dumbledore did his best to calm the Wizangamot down.

"My dear girl, I don't think you understand the damage of your accusations. Perhaps you should read a little less fiction and study more," he said, trying to downplay her claim. Inwardly he was seething.

"I think you misunderstand me, _Headmaster_. I am saying I believe Mr. Weasley is under the influence of someone close to him. That's the _only_ conclusion I can draw after seeing some of the strange evidence I've come across in an effort to get his children to leave me be during the school year. There is also the fact that his wife Molly Weasley was far too quick to visit the home of the Lovegoods despite being told repeatedly that she was not welcome by the recently deceased Xenophilius. Her claim on Luna came not even an hour before he was confirmed dead, which tells me she either had an inside source or she was made previously aware of the fact that he would be killed and failed to report it," said Tania evenly, her voice clear and full of confidence.

That set the niffler in the vaults.

"What evidence do you have that Arthur Weasley has been compromised?" said Madame Bones.

"Let's look at the facts. Molly Weasley has been said to have gotten his _attention_ through the use of love potions while they were in school. Shortly after she became pregnant with her son Bill. That in itself is nothing extraordinary...until you take into account the sheer _number_ of children she has and the state of their finance. As the head of a Ministry office, a pure blood and a the head of a family, Arthur Weasley should make more than enough to support his family, even if he isn't the most frugal of wizards. And yet without fail since their twin sons were admitted to Hogwarts, they have repeatedly _barely made ends meet_. Considering the amount of money needed to live comfortably in the magical society is vastly lower than in the muggle, this is odd. There is also the fact that not once has he attempted to save up so that he _could_ afford the yearly expense to send his children to school with relatively new things, rather than scraping his account dry. There's also the fact that I have yet to hear a _single_ piece of evidence that he has done anything about his wife attempting to chastise me last year, despite the fact that I have never previously met her, nor am I a member of her line."

Tania watched as people began to _think_ for once. And the picture painted was not one they liked at all.

Now that she pointed it out, it was strange that the Weasleys were notorious for barely making ends meet come time to buy supplies, even forced to buy used when it was possible. And there was no report of Arthur punishing his wife for stepping out of line to chastise a girl who was not a friend of the family, not a member of their family line or even associated with them in any way save that she was in the same year as their youngest son...much less the fact that she _deliberately_ sent the letter to a KNOWN muggle neighborhood.

And yes, Molly had made some jokes about getting his attention through the use of love potions...but now that Tania brought it up, the question was raised on whether she had stopped using them.

To put the final nail in their coffin, her application to take in the recently orphaned second year was very suspicious in the timing of it.

Madame Bones and many others frowned at the implications of it. Everything Tania said was public record, but no one had bothered to put the little pieces together to make a bigger picture.

There was also the pieces she didn't bother to say, like the fact that Molly had been the last visitor shortly before Selene Lovegood was killed, or the fact that the entire thing reeked of a set-up meant to get rid of the Lovegood family once and for all.

By the end of the meeting, a formal investigation was created to see if Tania's claim that Arthur had been compromised as head of the family and as head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts office was true.

If it was, he would be immediately dismissed and his oldest son would be formally given the title as Head of the Family. The fact remained though, if it was proven to be true the entire family would feel the brunt of disgrace at Arthur's weakness.

* * *

In the month before Hogwarts, Sirius Black was discreetly moved from the high-security wing to the low security. The Minister was surprisingly for it once Tania had Lucius phrase the move in a way he'd understand.

The trial was a formality, mostly so she could legally claim the Black's ancestral seat in the Wizangamot and the vaults that went with it. If Black was guilty, then she got the titles and everything that went with it by default. If he was innocent (which no one believed he _was_ ), then the Minister was central in discovering a gross miscarriage of justice that his predecessor was behind.

Either way, Fudge would come out smelling like roses. Lucius didn't even have to bribe him much to get him to consider the idea.

It had taken three times for the fact that he was _finally_ being given his trial before Sirius believed them. Once he did, he wanted to make preparations to meet his goddaughter.

Tania was quite firm on the fact she wouldn't even _consider_ the idea until he had had a full evaluation and was declared of sane mind and of decent health. If he was truly a traitor, then she wanted nothing to do with him.

If he was innocent, then he had plenty of time to make himself presentable before they met for the first time in twelve years.

However the same could not be said of Remus Lupin.

When he heard about the fact his friend had never gotten a trial, that he had been languishing for _twelve_ years without even a semblance of real justice delivered, he was quick to head toward England in hopes of at least meeting Tania.

Tania had nothing against werewolves. As far as she was concerned, they were only dangerous at night during when the full moon was out.

However she had an issue with the fact he only attempted to make contact _after_ she had made it clear she wasn't going to immediately play nice with Dumbledore's so called good guys, and that she could and WOULD side with those that were supposedly her enemies.

As Tania had told the Slytherins (and the two 'former' Death Eaters) there was no better way to insure she won her fight against the Headmaster than to gain the loyalty of the neutrals.

No one would suspect her of being a dark witch, solely because she was a Hufflepuff. A house commonly regarded as the 'cast-off' house because it emphasized loyalty and hard work, two things most modern wizards and witches looked down upon.

No one suspected a Hufflepuff of being evil. Which was ironic, in Tania's mind. Any _real_ strategist would have picked the house no one expected much out of...and yet they would band together at the drop of the hat if one of theirs were threatened, unlike the other houses.

That kind of loyalty was dismissed too easily for her tastes.

* * *

"You're quite the little imp, aren't you Xion?" said Aqua rhetorically.

The sheer amount of chaos she stirred up in less than a week... it was unbelievable. The fact it would take months, if not years to sort out the level of damage she exposed was truly amazing.

The head of a family that had set itself against her to the point that there was almost a blood feud going on between them being put under investigation. The possible exposure of a gross miscarriage of justice that had lasted twelve long years. Adopting a recently orphaned Blue mage before she was deliberately stunted by an opposing family.

Add to that the fact that she had more or less exposed the headmaster as being a master of covering up some nasty secrets...

Xion was going to have to watch her back the entire year. That is, unless she gave the old man a reason to ignore her in favor of something more pressing.

"I have no idea what you mean," said Xion with a straight face. Shadow, from where he was playing around with his new magically-powered tablet, snorted.

It was a gift from Tania to keep him from being bored. And partly as payment for allowing them to use his Gummi Ship. Despite being given a steady flow of business from the school, the fact of the matter was that gold wasn't _nearly_ as rare in the wide universe as it was on Lost Avalon.

Aqua snorted as well, before she tossed something to Xion. It was a wooden blade in the rough approximation of a keyblade.

"You fight admirably with your blades. However I'm going to fine tune your sword skills," said Aqua. In her hand was a similar wooden sword. "And magic is only as good as long as your MP lasts."

Luna skipped up to where Xion and Aqua were. In her hands was yet another wooden sword.

"I managed to save this from my days as my father's apprentice. I have a real sword, but if we're going to be fine tuning sword skills..."

Aqua nodded in approval. Upon learning the possible reason for Luna to be targeted to the point they would openly kill her last remaining parent, she had agreed to become her new guardian.

Officially she was also an 'apprentice'. Unofficially she was more like a little sister to the two keyblade wielders, as she was a level twenty Blue mage and a level one Summoner.

So far she only had Ifrit and Shiva, mostly through her mother, but she had high hopes of contacting the other upper-level summons such as Bahamut, Ixion and possibly Kirin.

The fact was that she had only gotten the saber as a way to properly learn the magicks that allowed the Lovegood family to learn the magic of creatures. It was why most, if not all went into the industry of finding and/or documenting rare creatures.

The saber was passed down from generation to generation, usually put away once the magic had been learned before Hogwarts age in order to maintain the lineage. It had never seen use since the world was effectively closed off. It was, however, maintained.

Luna refused to be a victim, and if that meant taking up the sword once more like her ancestors, she'd get out a whetstone and learn how to maintain it for more than just keeping it in perfect condition and join Xion in battle.

Naturally she had gained Aqua's immediate approval for it.

"Very well. Assume any stance you wish and we shall get started."

Xion took her preferred stance, which was a loose one that made it easy for her to bolt in any direction she needed and give full mobility. Luna took a fencer's stance, holding the wooden sword at arm's length, but still capable of defending or attacking with it.

It was a good one for those with moderate to decent combat experience. However Aqua was going to beat the proper ones into them every chance she had, and they would come back for more.

"Begin!" she said firmly. A Keyblade Master would be used to having more than one opponent attacking. Plus it would help them iron out their teamwork.

Xion took the point, charging in cautiously while Luna came in from behind. Aqua defended with ease as they were mostly testing the waters out.

After a few moments, the pace changed as Xion took the offensive more firmly than before, always keeping her awareness of Luna's presence. Luna seemed to have some problems with it.

Then again Xion was used to having Roxas fight by her side, so she was used to keeping an eye out for her partner during fights. Luna was young enough that her father generally did the fighting while she defended.

In the span of fifteen minutes, it quickly became clear that the girl had two vastly different levels of skill. Xion fought for her life against the Heartless for the better part of a year. Luna was used to relying on older fighters and gaining experience slowly through association.

Then again, Xion was close to level fifty, whereas Luna was a level twenty.

And Aqua...she was firmly in the seventies when it came to power levels. And a balanced fighter at that. The difference between them was laughable at best and the younger girls knew it.

"Enough. I've seen just what I need to. Xion...well done. You kept perfect awareness of not only me, but of your partner as well. Most rookies wouldn't be able to pull that off so naturally."

"I used to fight alongside Roxas a lot. He was better at White magic than I was, so I generally ended up being the one using attack spells," said Xion.

"Luna, your spatial awareness was acceptable, but I can see we're going to have to focus on your ability to use a saber the way it's supposed to. No doubt local influences are the reason why your sword skills were so sloppy."

A saber was a thin sword, but Luna simply wasn't meant to be a fencer. Her build was all wrong for it.

And to be fair, most fencing in Lost Avalon was purely for sport, not for actual combat. It was hard to find anyone willing to teach the dirtier tricks that could save your life.

Luna clutched her wooden sword tighter.

"Please teach me how to use this properly, Master Aqua," said Luna seriously.

"Fortunately the 'headmaster' has been more or less forced to accept my entrance in the school as a new DADA teacher. So I can teach you on the weekends and after classes."

"Odds are you could make a club for using swords. That way people won't look at you oddly or use the lessons as an excuse to kick you out."

"That might work."

"If we go the club route, then we can rope some of the other teachers as well. I know Professor Flitwick is a former duelist, and Professor Snape is very well versed in making up combat spells," said Xion.

"Don't forget Madam Pomphrey. If we're using even wooden swords, we're going to need bruise balm at the very least," said Luna sensibly. "Especially with Hermione's insane class schedule."

"What's this about an insane class schedule?" asked Xion.

"She's gone and picked _all_ the classes available. And I do mean all of them. Including the ones that are either outdated or useless without the right gifts, like Muggle Studies and Divination."

"That's never going to end well. Either she burns out or she gets into trouble," said Xion.

"Hopefully the chance to become a real Red mage will be enough to distract her," said Aqua.

Red mages specialized in white _and_ black magic. They also had a very special skill that allowed them to cast two spells at once. The really, really talented ones could even go up as high as three different spells at the same time.


	23. Introducing Professor Wayfinder

Tania had a feeling how her third year would go when the second Ron and Ginny Weasley saw her, their first reaction was to draw their wands and try to hex her.

"You! You ruined our family you half-breed bitch!"

"Gee, what would your mother say to such language?" said Tania flatly.

That was apparently the wrong thing to say, as Ron managed to break free of his twin brothers _and_ Percy to almost make it to Tania.

Unfortunately for him, Tania was more experienced with combat. And she had her training partner with her.

Luna tripped Ginny and held her wooden sword at her former friend's throat.

"Enough! Ron, we discussed this after I moved back. If I find out you've been harassing Ms. Potter again you won't like the consequences," said an unfamiliar voice. He had red hair like the rest, but it was much longer and he had what appeared to be a dragon fang in his ear.

This must be Bill Weasley, the oldest son.

Ron and Ginny flinched at the reprimand. Unlike their mother, they couldn't easily dismiss it when Bill was the one chastising them.

"Ms. Potter I formally apologize for the actions of my siblings," said Bill.

"Apology accepted. To be fair, I mostly had issue with your mother's actions. Their petty attacks on me barely registered as an annoyance, though if Ron keeps this up I will leave him in a place where he'll be forced to straighten up...without magic."

Tania had not been making idle threats when she said she'd dump Ron in the Olympus Coliseum. He could certainly use some _motivation_ to leave her alone.

Bill hid a grimace.

"Ron, I hate to say this but if you do anything to piss her off again I will not be there to back you up. Your behavior is unacceptable for a member of our family."

Bill honestly had no idea how bad his mother had corrupted Ron and Ginny. Though Ginny at least looked salvageable, Ron was starting to look like a lost cause.

It was bad enough that Titania Potter had exposed their dirty secret in retaliation for his mother's illegal activities. To be fair, Bill had been expecting this to happen when he was old enough to look into it himself, but he had been too embarrassed to say anything.

And by the time he was old enough to raise the same questions she had, he had already moved away.

With Ron restrained and Ginny reminded that their mother wouldn't cover for her again, they boarded the train without incident.

* * *

 _In the compartment..._

"You've certainly kicked over an ant hill," said Hermione.

"More like thrown a rock at a tracker jacker's nest," said Susan. She noticed the odd looks that the non-purebloods were giving her. "You've never heard of tracker jackers?"

"Oh we have, but we weren't expecting you to make a _Hunger Games_ reference," said Tania.

"A what? I was talking about the magical hornets that people avoid for very good reason. Agitating them causes them to latch their special brand of magic onto you, and track you even across continents. Apparently some idiot in Asia accidentally created them when one of his magical experiments seeped into the land and he missed some giant hornet's nest," said Susan.

"...You know that actually makes more sense than it doesn't. I mean giant Japanese wasps are extremely deadly, and they do fit the general description of tracker jackers from the books," said Hermione.

"Their sting hurts. A lot," said Luna uncomfortably. Seeing the look on their faces, she winced. "We ran into them on one of our usual explorations and one of my older cousins accidentally kicked one open. We got their tracking ability out of it, but it definitely wasn't worth the month we had to spend in the hospital or the rehabilitation after."

"How could you possibly get their tracking magic? And if you have cousins, then why didn't they adopt you?" asked Hannah in shock.

"I'm a Blue Mage. That means I learn the ability and magic of any creature I fight against. As for why they didn't take me in, they knew if they did they'd be targeted next. Most of them have gone into hiding after my father was blatantly murdered. It was safer to be adopted into the Potter family, because they would hesitate going after me considering how high-profile Tania is," said Luna.

"Besides, I've always wanted a little sister. And Aunt Petunia certainly doesn't mind."

The two weeks she spent with her aunt (which unfortunately included Marge) had been interesting to say the least. Petunia had been delighted at the thought of another girl she could use as a dress up doll, and Luna had been game once she got the fact she wasn't taking off her bottlecap necklace or her odd radish earrings off to her.

Though Dudley had to be shown early on that Luna, despite being rather odd, was no victim. Several painful (and very discrete) kicks to the shins that hurt like hell were enough to convince him to leave her be.

Marge had made some snide comments about the fact that Petunia would now be housing _five_ children, and only ONE of them was hers.

Vernon didn't bother to defend his wife's honor, though they had to make a quick exit after Marge made one too many horrible comments about Tania's mother Lily and how she was a bad mother.

Tania didn't need to get her wand to teach that fat hag a lesson. She went up to her room, summoned one of her keyblades, then walked downstairs and held Marge at swordpoint. The aura of "shut up or I'll kill you" seemed to get the point across that from then on Marge would no longer be welcome in the home.

Petunia was becoming very disillusioned with her marriage to Vernon, and the only reason she stayed was for Dudley's sake.

She could leave at any time with the children and not feel a wit of regret about the decision. Especially since Tania showed her the world she had been more or less staying in.

Petunia had always wanted to live in a castle...and if she took Tania up on her offer, she would be. Even if she did have to rely on the others to visit other worlds.

"So have you heard the other big news?" said Susan, changing the subject.

"What news?"

"Sirius Black, the man everyone believed to be the one who sent You-Know-Who to the Potters, was found _innocent_! The DMLE is having kittens when they found out he not only never had a trial, but that he had been languishing in Azkaban for twelve years and no one remembered he was waiting for his trial!" said Susan excitedly.

"Oh, I thought you were going to talk about the new DADA teacher, who is planning to offer classes on how to use swords this year," said Tania.

"I heard a rumor that the new vic...er, applicant...is your Master and that you've been officially labeled her apprentice," said Hannah eagerly.

"That's not a rumor," said Tania. "She agreed to take me on and to later sponsor me for the Mark of Mastery when I'm old enough to handle the trials. It's pretty intense."

"You mean like the one in _Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep_?" asked Hermione.

"Is that the new one?" asked Tania. Hermione nodded. "Who are the playable characters?"

"They have three this time. Ventus, the youngest who looks an awful lot like Roxas. Terra, the oldest and the one who eventually passes on his keyblade to Riku. And Aqua, the only girl and the most balanced out character in the set. She gave her keyblade, Destiny's Embrace, to Kairi by accident after she saved her."

Tania blinked.

"This Aqua character have blue hair, motherly attitude and is good with kids?"

"How did you know?"

Tania couldn't help it, she started snickering.

"Trust me, you're in for a real treat later. And I guarantee if you're open to it our new DADA teacher will help you become a decent Red mage. Anyway if this _Birth By Sleep_ is what I think it is, then yes I'll be undergoing that Mark of Mastery exam once I'm up to a level my Master is comfortable with."

Hermione put two and two together.

"Our new DADA teacher this year is Aqua, isn't it," she asked.

Tania grinned but said nothing.

"If she's real, then so is Riku. That does it, the next time you plan on introducing characters from _Kingdom Hearts_ , I want to see Riku!" said Hermione pouting.

"I'll see what I can do. On an unrelated note, has anyone else had their Hogsmeade forms signed?"

Everyone save Luna nodded.

"Good, then at least I'll have company when I raid Honeydukes. My aunt was nice enough to sign my form, and if they won't accept her signature I'll ask my master to sign it."

"Is it true that accepting an apprenticeship means that they automatically become your magical, and sometimes legal, guardian?" asked Hermione.

"It's true. It's one of the oldest forms of learning. The Ministry still accepts apprenticeship applications, and the Master automatically gains responsibility to their apprentice in lieu of their families. In fact, sometimes they even wave off the requirement of taking O.W.L.'s and N.E.W.T.'s to become registered as graduates, provided the apprentice can prove that they are competent enough to be able to meet the minimum requirements and that the Apprenticeship is for an accredited job."

Seeing Hermione's look, Tania shrugged.

"I have to meet the bare minimum of spell knowledge and pass the Mark of Mastery, otherwise I have to take the same exams as everyone else to graduate. But once the Board of Governors saw what I was going to learn, they jumped at the chance to label my apprenticeship as one of the qualifying jobs. Even if the paperwork was a nightmare to fill out. Thank magic the goblins still had the old forms for it."

"So which classes are you taking?" asked Hermione.

"COMC, Ancient Runes, Advanced Charms, and lessons on how to use healing magic," said Tania.

She didn't know _why_ the book for Divination was in her list, but asking the clerk for the required book for Ancient Runes had helped to avoid misunderstandings.

"I didn't know there were classes on healing magic."

"You have to ask for it and pass the minimum requirement by Flitwick and Snape," said Susan.

"You're taking it too?" asked Hermione.

"I am, actually. My mother is a healer, and I want to be one too," said Hannah.

"By the way, did you _really_ sign up for ALL the classes?"

Hermione nodded proudly.

"I can't wait to see what your class schedule is like," said Tania, shaking her head in disbelief.

* * *

 _Later, after the sorting..._

Hermione nearly squealed when she saw Professor "Wayfinder" at the table next to Professor Snape.

As a fellow fan of _Kingdom Hearts_ , _Final Fantasy_ and Disney in general, Hermione recognized Aqua pretty quickly.

She couldn't wait for their first DADA class.

"Greetings everyone. My name is Professor Wayfinder. I'll be teaching you how cast the older lost spells this year. As well as catching you up to the standards required to survive in the real world. Now, before any of you ask, Ms. Potter has agreed to be my assistant for the year. No doubt you've heard rumors that she has gained a Master in a rather lost magical career from the times of the Founders. Those rumors are correct. The rumors that I plan to teach you how to use swords is also true. Professor Flitwick and Professor Snape have agreed to help me with the formation of a new club for those of you who are interested. Joining is not a requirement."

Aqua noticed that someone had their hand up.

"Yes, Miss...?"

"Bones. I was just curious as to why there were no new books assigned to this class."

"That's because _I_ will be providing the books. I prefer _practical_ lessons, and if you have any questions on the material you are free to ask them at any time when class is not in session."

That made quite a few of the less studious children perk up.

"Make no mistake, there will be written work. Just nowhere near as much as some of the other classes."

Aqua showed them the copy of the books she would be using this year.

"Now, who would like a practical demonstration of the basics we're going to learn?"

Everyone save Tania held up their hand.

Aqua brought out a few dummies commonly used by Aurors to practice dangerous spells on.

She raised her right hand, held it out flat and said in a perfectly calm voice _"Fire."_

A small but powerful fireball hit the dummy, leaving distinct scorch marks.

She had definitely gotten their attention now. Mostly because she hadn't bothered to take out her makeshift 'wand'.

She cycled through the other two commonly used elements in Black magic, which were ice and lightning.

"That is a simple demonstration of the three spells I will be concentrating on until you get a handle on what you call 'wandless' magic. Make no mistake, if I hear or catch _any_ of you using these attack spells on other students, you will suffer the worst torture I can conceive of for those of you who rely far too much on your wands."

And by that she meant she'd dump them in Olympus Coliseum for a week to undergo Phil's "Hero's Special" training course. If that didn't convince them to shape up, nothing would.

"And to show you what you _could_ learn if you put your full attention into practicing... Tania, if you would?"

Tania stood up and went to where Aqua demonstrated the three basic spells. Like her, she held her palm facing flat and upward as she calmly used the higher level spells.

" _Firaga! Blizzaga! Thundaga!"_ she said in quick succession.

The minimum damage caused by the first three spells was nothing compared to the higher level ones. The three dummies were completely destroyed.

The entire class was silent, before one of the boys spoke up.

"SO COOL!"

He blushed at speaking out so loudly, but the damage was done. After seeing a demonstration of what were considered _common_ spells, they were more than anxious at learning how to use them.

Aqua had to admit, being a teacher was more fun than she thought.


	24. Beware of Satyrs and the Hogsmeade visit

It took Tania exactly two weeks to figure out that one of the teachers had been stupid enough to give Hermione a time turner of all things so that she could attend all her classes. If she found out who, she'd slap them for being so foolish.

Giving a time turner to an almost _fourteen-year-old_ , no matter how responsible, was far too risky. Especially since she kept doubling up herself for weeks on end.

The odds of her straining her core to the point that it snapped were far too high to be acceptable.

It took her a week after this realization to find out it had been McGonagall, which immediately made Tania suspect her real motives.

At this point though, Tania was going to obsessively monitor Hermione's health, and at the same time avoid the recently hired History teacher.

Remus Lupin. The same werewolf friend who had abandoned Sirius Black without at least attempting to hear out HIS side of the story.

She had given him the benefit of a doubt for an entire conversation. He was unaware she had recorded the whole thing, then played it back to the one person who was guaranteed to be unbiased.

Neville.

Ten minutes of Remus' drivel had told the timid boy all he needed to hear. Mainly that like Hagrid and McGonagall, he was _firmly_ in Dumbledore's camp and would need surgery to remove his head from the old man's arse.

Since then she had avoided him like the plague claiming she refused to trust someone who couldn't even be bothered to learn _both_ sides of the story before condemning a reportedly close friend to what could only be called 'hell on Earth'.

Considering she said as much in front of her fellow Hufflepuffs after the _third_ time he tried to corner her for a chat, they had started to help her pack quicker so that they could block Professor Lupin from getting too close.

By this point Tania had made it perfectly clear she distrusted Dumbledore, or at least she didn't trust anyone who firmly sided with him.

* * *

Aqua could honestly say being a teacher here was the most interesting and frustrating thing she had ever dealt with. The seventeen and eighteen year olds were as petty as the eleven year old first years when it came to house rivalry, and if she had to hear one more word about the superiority of pure blood over 'first gens' she was going to start electrocuting people!

Fortunately, she had a solution to that. And Tania was going to help with far too much amusement on the matter.

Which was why, during the fifth year class that contained the Weasley twins (who had become remarkably docile since the revelation of their mother's crimes), Aqua had a rather...evil...smirk.

"Today we're going to be learning the importance of exercise. And to hammer this particular lesson in, I'm going to bring in a guest speaker," she said, barely hiding her evil glee.

"Alright, where are these wannabe mages I'm supposed to whip into shape?" drawled a voice.

To give them credit, most muggleborns recognized the voice after a few seconds and turning to look at the direction it came from.

"Oh _hell_ no... she's summoned PHIL!"

"We're screwed!" said another.

There, standing in all his pudgy glory was Phil the Satyr. They would have brought Herc with him, except he was busy cleaning the coliseum's bathrooms at the moment.

"Who or _what_ is that?" said Fred, eyeing the satyr warily.

"That would be Phil, the trainer to Hercules himself...and the proud creator of the most _insane_ training schedule in existence," said Tania pleased.

It hadn't taken much to bribe Phil. All she had to do was tell him he got to watch Hades' expression when he finally learned what happened to his precious guard dog. Well that and being told he was free to insult some rather annoying centaurs hadn't hurt either.

Word soon spread about the "physical education" teacher Aqua brought in to inspire the children to practice more. One week of Phil's insane training schedule and the ominous warning that any detention she gave would mean at least three hours of Phil's special training course was enough for the pure bloods to learn how to shut up about how "pure" their blood was.

Still, it did allow her to start up a new club without much fuss.

* * *

"Welcome to the Blade Mastery club."

A good chunk of the muggleborns in the school had joined up, mostly because Aqua confirmed she would be teaching physical education (with Phil being used as a punishment for getting out of hand). Some of the pure bloods joined, having taken fencing lessons years ago, and were hoping to impress the girls of their own age. Or the teacher.

There was no denying that Aqua did appear about nineteen, was rather attractive (despite her odd hair color) and was very physically fit. Her personality while mothering, was nowhere near as condescending as Molly Weasley's ever was, and she went out of her way to help the younger students understand the material.

In short, she was voted the number one most popular teacher among the staff, beating out Sinistra and Babbling.

Oh how Tania was going to enjoy their expressions in a moment.

"For those of you who are unaware, this club is going to double as a sort of physical education substitute. I will be doing more than just teaching you how to use swords or blades, and will be introducing several mundane games that are rather popular...like say, _dodgeball_?"

Seeing the sudden and rather vindictive glint in the eyes of the muggleborns, the pure bloods had a rather ominous feeling about the idea.

"Along the wall are several wooden swords in different styles. When the club is not in session, these are going to be locked up in my office and hidden. However the room ball basket is free for anyone to use provided you don't do anything to anger Mr. Filch and remember to pick up after yourselves."

Tania had gone and practically bought out an entire section of various balls meant for different games. And from the gleeful look on Dean Thomas' face, he had evidently picked up that it included football (not the American kind), which happened to be his favorite sport.

"If you're unsure how certain mundane games are played, feel free to ask Hermione for most of them. I believe Mr. Thomas would be delighted to illuminate how football is played," said Aqua.

Dean Thomas was quick to nod his head emphatically.

"For now we're going to get you all familiarized with the rules...and a demonstration of what you _could_ achieve if you practice enough. Ms. Potter?"

Luna walked up to Aqua, confusing some until they remembered she had been adopted into the Potter family by Tania. Which meant her name was now Luna Potter-Black, not Lovegood anymore.

"Begin!"

Luna quickly gave all those who thought it acceptable to mock "Loony Lovegood" a sobering reminder that not all victims remained that way for long. Seeing Luna hold her own against a teacher who was admittedly holding back was a nasty surprise.

At the five minute mark, they stopped. That was a good enough demonstration for what Aqua had planned.

"That is a taste of what a few years training can do if you're willing to put in enough effort. And now for a demonstration of what _real_ training can do if you are genuinely interested in learning," said Aqua.

Tania took center stage.

Their duel was more than just swordplay, it was wandless magic as well. Only the first-level stuff like Fire and Blizzard, but enough to get the point across.

The way she used magic and sword skill to put Aqua on the defensive, even for a moment...it was enough to convince the boys in the group that if they wanted to try for Tania, they'd have to put some actual work into it.

And that deterred some of the pure bloods. They wanted a submissive girl, which everyone assumed Tania more or less was except for when something got a rise out of her Black heritage.

Her attack on Molly Weasley was completely flawless. The odds of the woman ever being remarried, much less being welcomed in any of the normal circles were zero. No one wanted to associate with such a pariah.

At the ten minute mark they called it quits. However the damage was done.

Everyone now knew that Tania had been practicing with a blade for some time. Though the one she had wasn't anywhere near as heavy or as damaging as a real Keyblade, the fact was that she could use it almost as effectively as one.

On the plus side, Aqua had no shortage of people signing up for the club. Most were first gens hoping to use this as a way to exercise without being mocked or told off by the teachers. A few pure bloods who were genuinely interested in fencing joined up as well.

Aqua mostly used this as a way for Tania to publicly practice and raise Luna's "level".

Most of the older pure bloods, such as McGonagall and Dumbledore, didn't like the idea of the Blade Mastery club. However they were summarily outvoted by the other teachers.

The children in that club were calmer, less rambunctious. Their test scores were also much higher than normal, and a few of those in the Quidditch teams found themselves a lot less tired after practice.

More than that, the house rivalry (save for those in Gryffindor, who followed McGonagall's lead) was virtually nonexistent. Oh, some of the first and one or two of the second years were present, but anyone above fourth year refused to join in the now communal games.

Aside from Hagrid being forced to put up a wide strip of orange fencing along the perimeter of the forest, the children were out and about most days after classes. Dean Thomas found himself acting as "team captain" of the football teams, and Hermione found herself more often than not dragged into arguments over the nuances in the rules. She might be a bookworm, but at one point she had more or less read up on the rules in an effort to try and make friends.

However most children were more interested in playing, rather than caring about the rules. So now she was the unofficial rule keeper.

Tania, in the meantime, split her time between practicing with Aqua and Luna, and her commitment to the Music club. She found her ability to use her new Keyblade growing in leaps and bounds with an experienced teacher.

Mirage Split, Reality Shift had a rather interesting ability. It allowed her to switch between the realms Luna saw and the ones that everyone else could perceive.

The first time she found out about this ability, it had scared the hell out of her until Luna showed up.

The place she was in was called the 'mirage realm', a place where dreams and reality connected. It was one of the more common pathways into the faerie realms. In that place, past, present and future could touch without consequences.

It was because of her connection to the missing fragment to her new Keyblade that she had any ability to access it. And the main reason why she had an unusual reaction to time travel.

As for why she lost memories every time she brought something through here... Luna had been rather vague on that part.

From what little she had been able to See, the Mirage realm had a doorway through a white castle of memories. One that Xion instinctively passed through to bring people through time. The only castle she knew of that fit that vague description was Castle Oblivion.

Which made perfect sense, because to find is to lose, and to lose is to find in Castle Oblivion. Meant she'd have an easier time finding Naminé at least.

Still, it wasn't even close to Halloween and already Tania was noticing a distinct fraying in Hermione. And that wasn't bringing into account the fact she was acting as the go-to referee for the pure bloods. Or all the classes she was taking.

It was the time most of the newly minted third years had been waiting for eagerly. The first Hogsmeade weekend.

* * *

"Has everyone had their papers signed?" asked Professor Sprout.

Tania brought hers up to Professor Sprout, and for a moment the matronly woman frowned.

"I'm afraid the headmaster made it clear earlier that I was not to accept any slips signed by your aunt, because she's a muggle."

Tania rolled her eyes, before pulling out a _second_ slip just in case he tried to pull this on her.

"Professor Wayfinder is my Master, and as such qualifies as legal and magical guardian in the event my aunt is ineligible."

Professor Sprout blinked, before a slow smirk appeared on her face. It was always funny to see the headmaster outmaneuvered... especially by a thirteen year old girl. She accepted the second slip and waved Tania on through with the others.

 _At Hogsmeade..._

"Is this it?" asked Tania, vastly disappointed.

"What are you talking about? This place is awesome!" said Susan.

"No, I see what Tania's saying. It's rather...quaint," said Hermione.

"Just out of curiosity, exactly where do you do all your shopping for special occasions, like say for a new wardrobe or some books? And I don't mean Diagon. I mean places with _specialty_ stores."

"We don't really go out for shopping, and when we do it's usually places like Vertic alley," said Hannah.

Tania and Hermione both had identical sympathetic expressions on their faces.

"Oh you poor, poor repressed pure bloods," said Tania, shaking her head.

"You've never been to a proper shopping mall?" said Hermione.

"What's a shopping mall?" asked Susan.

"We're not due back in the school until dinner right?"

"Correct," said Hermione.

"And the goblins can convert their recently upgraded spending money into pounds."

"They do the same for me whenever I go into get money for school supplies, so it stands to reason," said Hermione.

"Give me a few minutes. We're going to find a Gringotts, convert some of your currency into muggle pounds, and then I'm taking you for a _real_ outing," said Tania firmly.

"How?" said Hermione.

"Remember how the members of Organization XIII got around in _Kingdom Hearts 2_?" asked Tania.

Hermione blinked.

"Those coats of yours aren't just to express your individuality, are they?"

"No, they're not."

"You can use the Corridor."

"Yup."

"You are so talking me to the Castle That Never Was during Christmas with my sister. When she find out it's real she's going to have a fan girl moment."

"Just to warn you, the only one still around is Demyx...and I may have stolen Hades' dog first year. Why Hagrid named him Fluffy I'll never understand," said Tania.


	25. An Unexpected Blast to the Past

Thanks to the wonders of dumping everything in her room, Susan and Hannah were given a brief, if eye-opening awakening to the wonders of _real_ shopping. They had plenty of time to experience Hogsmeade, but ten minutes in an actual shopping mall had been more than enough for them to get hooked...and plan to drag their mother/aunt here during summer break.

Hermione had an absolute fan girl moment when Tania showed her the castle...a little of it anyway. She fully planned to dump her with Merlin for a month or so during the summer so the girl could get the full experience and learn more about real magic.

Even if it was weird knowing Tania was once a Nobody that somehow ended up here, Hermione didn't really care. She had obviously grown a heart at some point, so she was a human person now.

It was Halloween when _it_ happened.

Thanks to some particularly bad timing and some very bad luck, Hermione was busted by Ron Weasley when she went to use her time turner to take her Ancient Runes class. Tania had been curious to see it in action, so she had convinced Hermione to show her how it worked.

Thanks to some bad timing, she was there when Ron's spell hit the now spinning disk before it had gained enough momentum to time travel. He had only been trying to hit her with a full body bind so that he could bring teachers and bust them both.

Thanks to his rather shoddy aim, he hit the time turner instead. The magic reacted badly to the spell, causing the sand to become destabilized.

Tania realized Hermione might be lost in the wrong time, and did the only thing she could.

She grabbed her hand before the time turner shattered.

Hermione screamed in fear as the sand reacted to Tania's unusual powers. At some point she ended up hugging the girl tightly, not wanting to be lost in the endless void of darkness. She was unaware that putting Tania that close to the rampaging time sand only made it _worse_.

Finally the two landed with a hard _thump_ onto unforgiving earth. They hadn't been falling at terminal velocity, thankfully, but it still hurt pretty good.

"Hermione, are you alright?"

"I think I twisted my ankle. It's really sore," she said, wincing.

"Hold still. I'm not as good at healing spells as he was, but I'm good enough. _Cura_."

Hermione's pain faded as the light did. Her ankle wasn't swollen anymore.

"Where are we?"

Tania looked around, before her eyes widened.

"No. No way. This can't be..."

The fake Twilight Town. The one where Naminé was using her powers to restore Sora to his true memories. All at the cost of Roxas' Self.

Which meant that she had a choice. She could either try and find Merlin and hope he could take them back...or she could save some of her friends.

She didn't want to lose Axel, and she'd be damned if she lost Roxas a second time. Not when she could finally save him.

"Tania?"

"We're in the virtual Twilight Town. I'm not sure if we could get to Merlin from here, so we might as well let this play out. But first... I'm going to need to change."

She remembered at the last second this wasn't _her_ time, where she had full control over The World That Never Was. So she stuffed her coat into her bag, before allowing her school uniform to change into the latest version of her battle outfit from the three faeries.

It was more or less a purple and silver version of the one Kairi currently had.

"What... How did you do that?" said Hermione surprised.

"Easily. I've been visiting Merlin for almost three years now, and the three fairies were delighted to have a female to work with that didn't mind voicing a clear opinion on the color coordination. This is actually the prototype for the one they made Kairi," said Tania shrugging.

"Something tells me I'm going to have fun helping them make one for me," said Hermione.

"If we can convince Merlin to let us explore before sending us back to the time that Ron destroyed the time turner, then absolutely. At the very least I want to see Axel and Roxas," said Tania.

"I want to try some Sea Salt ice cream!" said Hermione.

"Good thing I have munny."

* * *

 _On top of the tower..._

"I thought you were afraid of heights?"

"I just hate being on that stick to fly. It's not heights that bother me, but relying on those pieces of wood terrifies me. One good blast and I'd come crashing down."

"Hard to enjoy sitting on those things when one's been to Neverland and meet Tinkerbell," admitted Tania.

"We so have to go there," said Hermione eagerly.

"To watch Hook get chased after losing some of his pants to the crocodile?"

Hermione nodded with a snicker. She took another bite of the ice cream.

"Salty, but sweet. Exactly like they described it. Then again it's a lot easier to take than butterscotch flavored soda that's laced with alcohol," admitted Hermione.

Tania took a rather large bite of her ice cream.

"I have a massive stash of this in the fridge," she admitted. "Demyx and Shadow know better than to touch it under fear of what I would do to them once puberty finally sets in."

Hermione giggled, even if she had to admit that had been an unpleasant shock when it started. She hadn't been freaked out (okay, maybe a little) once she realized what was happening, but her mother had made sure to stock up on some medicine so she didn't feel so icky.

As the sun went down, Hermione thought of something.

"Where are we going to sleep?"

"...I might have an idea. Give me five minutes and I'll be back. If a Nobody or Heartless attacks, blast them with _Fire_ spell. That should dissuade them."

Hermione was terrifyingly good at Fire and Thunder spells. Once she figured out the trick of it, she was a fast learner. Her dream of being a Red Mage might soon become reality.

Tania wandered into the area where the mansion was. Sure enough, a few moments after she waited, Diz appeared.

"You do not belong here."

"Shut it. I know what you plan for Roxas, and while I'm not happy about him losing a good chunk of his memories I'm willing to make a deal. I can take care of the red haired fire master if you're willing to let us stay in the mansion with Naminé. The last thing I need is for the Organization to catch wind I'm around," said Tania, not even bothering to be polite like she normally was.

If Ansem or Xemnas found out she was properly _alive_ , they'd stop at nothing to get to her. And until she had a guaranteed way to get back to her time, she wasn't going to risk her friend. She still had a job to do.

* * *

Diz gave her a strange look, as if weighing the options.

"Who or what are you?"

Tania smiled, her eyes closing for a brief moment...before her answer threw a lot of plans the man had out the window.

"My name is Xion, Number 14 in Organization XIII. The same one that had to die to insure that Roxas lived long enough to give Sora back his memories," said Xion flatly. "Though I go by Tania these days."

Seeing her keyblade, Diz believed her.

"Fine, you can stay in the mansion. But you had better deal with Axel properly."

"When he realizes I'm actually alive again, he'll be too distracted to save Roxas. Especially since I'm going to try and save him after Sora's restored."

"Impossible."

"Roxas was developing a heart or awakening one that was lost when he gave up Sora's memories. Some of them stuck around long enough that he kept a portion of Sora's power, and he had to fight Sora in order to return them. I plan to turn him and Axel into Somebodies with Hearts of their own, rather than remaining the shells of their original selves."

"Such a thing is impossible."

"I've already performed this trick with Demyx. It is possible, because while I am not a Nobody, I'm not a Heartless or a Somebody either. And I was given a second chance, so I see no reason why they shouldn't have one too."

"Such powers always come at a cost," Diz said.

"'To lose is to gain, to gain is to lose.' I will bear the lose if it means keeping my friends around," said Xion flatly.

"Hmph. Like a mere Replica like you would know."

Xion glared at him.

"Just for that, when Namine's work is done I'm taking her with us. You don't deserve to have her around, creep. And if I wanted to, I could easily summon even _more_ Nobodies here and crash your damn system. Or I could steal Hades' pet dog again and let him run amok in your precious virtual world. I'd love to see you explain that to the Greek god of the dead," snapped Xion.

Diz was taken aback by the sheer level of _emotion_ Xion was projecting.

Nobodies (or Replicas) didn't have anything close to Hearts enough to project genuine emotion. But Xion did. She was clearly showing actual annoyance and vindictiveness.

He needed to study this.

* * *

 _Back with Hermione..._

"I found a place for us to stay, but the owner is a bit of a jerk," said Tania, irritation clear on her face.

"Will we get to meet Naminé?" asked Hermione.

"When Roxas returns Sora's memories, I'm taking Naminé with us. She doesn't deserve to be stuck with that jerk," said Tania vehemently.

"Girls against boys?" said Hermione, eyes glinting.

Tania blinked, before an evil grin appeared.

"Absolutely."

* * *

Naminé was excited, and for good reason.

Xion, the anomaly from before, was back and she had the ability to save Roxas and the other Nobodies. Including her.

She had always thought that as Kairi's Nobody, she'd be stuck with returning to the girl and disappear.

So she was particularly eager to meet Xion properly. Sure the introduction of another girl with partially tamed brown hair was odd, but she was able to be polite.

Plus there was the amusement of seeing Diz and Ansem visibly shudder once the other two started what could only be classed as "Girl Talk" within minutes of meeting. Judging by the evil glints in their eyes, they had done that deliberately.

Finally, when Xion was absolutely sure they weren't paying any attention to them, she held out her hand to Naminé.

"You want to have a Heart like I do, don't you?"

Naminé nodded.

"'To lose is to gain, to gain is to lose'. That is the cardinal rule of Castle Oblivion. And frankly I do mind losing a few of my original memories if it means angering that jerk Diz," said Xion.

"You're going to save Axel and Roxas, aren't you?"

Xion nodded.

"I want to help."

"Who knows what sort of powers you'll unlock when this is done. But I do know that we're not leaving you here and if nothing else we can claim you were the one who helped us get back to _our_ time," said Xion.

Naminé took Xion's hand, and Xion reached for the power she felt when she had done this for Demyx. She felt several memories flash before her eyes. The days when Roxas was unconscious for a month disappeared. But something else awakened in Naminé in response.

Naminé felt her eyes fly open. She could feel _something_ pulse in time with Xion's heart. She reached up with her right hand to feel it.

She literally felt her heart beating. And after five seconds, something seemed to pass through her as the part of her that remained from Kairi was released and returned to the girl.

"Tania!" yelped Hermione.

"I'm fine. I forgot how tiring that was," said Xion tiredly.

She looked dead on her feet. It was a good thing they were sitting on a bed already. Naminé hugged her tightly.

"Thank you!"

"Don't thank me yet. I'm not exactly at top shape after I 'grow' a heart in a Nobody. If we're attacked you'll be the ones who have to defend and it takes longer for me to gain enough magical power to use spells."

"Then I'll just have to get better at being a Red mage," said Hermione flatly.

"And I'll have to practice whatever powers I now have," said Naminé.

"And we're going to show those boys what Girl Power can do!" said Hermione firmly.

Xion laughed. She needed something to lift her spirits after the roller coaster of emotions she felt realizing she had a chance to save her friends.


	26. Saving Axel and crashing into Luna

**Almost forgot to mention this, but a very happy birthday to my best friend Angela! As a pressie to everyone else, I'm doing a double update!**

* * *

Tania and Hermione more or less drifted around the fake Twilight Town. Because of the fact that Roxas needed to waken Sora, she reluctantly avoided him and the others. At least until the tournament, which Diz allowed her to join solely to test her combat ability.

This was also the perfect time to surprise Axel.

Hermione stayed to the side, cheering her on with Naminé, who had been pleasantly surprised with the temporary spell on her hair and eyes to hide her from Diz. He had no idea she was even there. Thanks to Xion's spare clothes that she wore outside Hogwarts. They might be a little snug for Xion, but on Naminé they fit just fine.

Besides, they matched her lavender colored hair perfectly.

"Go Tania!" shouted Hermione.

"Kick his butt!" cheered Naminé.

Xion took out Seifer with perfect ease. She had been sparring with Master Aqua for months. This kid was nothing, and he was just a program to boot.

"Winner, Titania!" said the announcer. Next up, Roxas versus Hayner!"

Xion barely kept a neutral face being so close to Roxas. It was only because of the slight differences and the fact he had been forced to forget her that she hadn't been recognized yet.

Xion hated the fact Diz forced Axel to fight Roxas. It was _his_ fault things had gotten so bad in the first place, and he could have been a little nicer about returning Sora's memories to him.

He didn't even register Nobodies as people, the jerk.

Seeing Axel trying to get through to him, Xion couldn't take it anymore.

" _FIRAGA!"_

It wouldn't hurt Axel, but it would sure as hell get his attention pretty quick.

Axel turned his attention to Xion, surprise on his features.

"Nice try short stuff, but fire doesn't work on me," he said with a smirk.

"I know. I wanted your undivided attention, Number 08, Axel, the Flurry of Dancing Flames."

Axel blinked.

"So you know who I am."

"I also know Roxas is Number 13, the Key of Destiny."

His eyes narrowed at the girl.

"Who are you?"

"That's not the question you should be asking."

"And what question is that?" asked Axel, playing along.

"You should be asking how it is I can do...this," said Xion. She used a little bit of her powers to bring the Dusks and some of the other Nobodies...including those Axel controlled. Seeing his face was hysterical.

"You... How can you control the Nobodies?!"

"The better question is why you forgot her," said Naminé.

It took Axel several seconds to recognize the voice. And then he blinked.

"Why purple?"

"Because Diz is an ass who refuses to let her out and doesn't consider Nobodies people," said Xion. "I will say this. He will remember who you are before Sora wakes, but until then Diz won't let him."

By this time Roxas had regained _one_ of his keyblades.

"Heh. What's your name girly?"

"My name is Tania, got it memorized?" said Xion, sticking her tongue at him.

Axel laughed, having his usual introduction thrown right back at him in a perfect copy of how he said it. He disappeared, and the world went back to normal.

Except the damage was done. Roxas had taken note of her.

Tania forfeited the match, not wanting Diz to realize her real potential.

Better to let him underestimate her until the last moment, when she planned to beat the living daylights out of him for being such a jerk.

* * *

 _Some time later..._

Axel's face when Roxas returned Sora's memories made Xion's heart break.

Which was why she deliberately clocked him on the back of the head with her keyblade. Axel, when he recovered from the surprise attack, turned to look at her.

His eyes widened comically upon seeing the blade...and the familiar coat.

"You. You're not just a kid with a keyblade are you?"

"I'm giving you a choice Axel, because we were friends. Do you want to have a proper heart and no longer have the status as 'just another Nobody'?" she asked seriously.

"Who are you? You feel so familiar, but I can't place where!" said Axel frustrated.

Xion had a hunch.

"Wake up, Axel!" said Xion, leveling her keyblade at him. His eyes widened in surprised as a light hit him and with a twist, unlocked the memories that were forgotten upon her death. That combined with the fact her eyes were a familiar blue and the coat she now wore, he was able to place her.

"No way. Xion?! But Roxas..."

"I died, but I was given a second chance. And in exchange for memories I'm able to give other Nobodies a chance to be Somebodies," said Xion, smiling in relief that it worked.

"Heh. You said he wasn't gone, didn't you?" said Axel, almost hopeful.

"He lost all the memories of Sora, but _Roxas_ wasn't fully integrated into him. He's still around and I intend to save him if I can. I've already insured Naminé won't be forced to rejoin Kairi."

"Well, I'm already kicked out because I couldn't stop Roxas from giving Sora's memories back. Mind if I join you three?"

"Axel, I fully planned to bring you back from the time we came from once I realized I was in the past. Besides, I'm sure Demyx will be thrilled to have another _guy_ to talk to. Oh, and if you touch my stash of sea salt ice cream in the freezer you'll be in for it."

Axel laughed, though he felt an ominous chill when she said that. Then her words caught up to him.

"Wait, what do you mean the time you came from?!"

Axel was mildly surprised when Xion fixed his coat with a stick, but it was nothing compared to the horror his new heart felt upon realizing he was now stuck as the lone male in a group of teenage females.

He also didn't know who this Reno was, nor did he want to find out. At least this Hermione girl was more than enthusiastic about learning how to set things on fire.

"So what now?"

"We could travel with Sora for a while, and hopefully get the part of him that is Roxas to wake up."

"Or...?" said Axel.

"We visit Merlin to find out exactly how long it's going to take to return us to our time, and see if we can't find Roxas before he fights Sora to return the power he has remaining."

"Merlin first. I want to see Radiant Garden!" said Hermione.

"Besides, if we tried to visit Lost Avalon before returning to our time it could cause a paradox...and frankly I don't want to deal with the Weasleys all over again since they finally got the memo about leaving me alone," said Xion exasperated.

"Well except for Ron," said Hermione with a scowl.

"Oh yes, how could I forget that idiot. I'm so tossing him to Phil for a month for getting us into this mess, even if I was able to save my friends," said Xion.

"Make it two. I wasn't exactly prepared for potentially months away from my personal supplies," said Hermione ominously.

"...I could make a quick trip to Lost Avalon if we need to."

"Please do," said Hermione.

"Am I the only one confused?" asked Axel.

Naminé winced.

"Just be glad you're not a girl," she replied. Now that she had a heart, Hermione and Xion made a point to warn her about a female's "monthly friend", and since she was about the right age for it, it was likely she might end up being visited herself.

Xion was already starting to feel the beginning stages of it, but it had yet to start.

"So how are we going to get to Radiant Garden?" asked Hermione.

"They kept Roxas' cloaks in the castle, right?" asked Xion.

"You kidding? They didn't even bother to empty the rooms of those I had to kill in Castle Oblivion," said Axel.

"Oh good. I'll be right back. I've got plenty of practice at quick trips," said Xion cheerfully.

It took her two minutes, and she left plenty of pranks for them to run afoul of (especially for the disguised Riku, just because) and returned with several cloaks...including ones for Axel.

"What...how did you slip into the castle like that?!"

"She's been using the washing machines for the past two years to do all her laundry, because of a minor issue with some elves," deadpanned Hermione.

"Stupid old cat," scowled Xion. "Anyway I got really, really good at taking shortcuts into the castle. Besides, the lower Nobodies already recognize me as a Greater Nobody, despite what I was before, so they leave me be."

"I know you Tania. What else did you do?"

"Left a lot of pranks for Xemnas and Ansem to run afoul of. Particularly Ansem, because he just plains irritates me by working with that jerk Diz," said Xion without hesitation.

Axel's grin was a bit evil.

"What did you leave?"

"Bullion and food dye in the showers, all their dark cloaks are now a girly pink, or will turn that way when they exit their rooms, and I switched around all the foods in the pantry," said Xion.

Axel was cracking up.

"That is hilarious. Wait, how long until they notice?"

"Oh we can point it out at Radiant Garden if we like," said Xion cheerfully.

"What are we waiting for then? Let's go!" said Axel eagerly. He couldn't wait to see their expressions when they realized their coats were _pink_.

Xion opened the corridor, and they all started walking.

* * *

"OW!"

It was rather comical the way Xion crashed into someone upon exiting.

Though it was even funnier when she recognized who she crashed in to.

 _"Luna_?!"

"Oh goodie. I was wondering if I had missed my mark," said the cheerful blond.

"What...how..." stammered Hermione.

"Professor Wayfinder sent me to Merlin who sent me here. I just had to follow your aura from Mirage Split," said Luna cheerfully. In her hands was a rather full bag.

"You left so suddenly you weren't able to pack, and Merlin said this was the perfect time to expand on my summoning contracts. Also, there's some things in here for you and Hermione...like a change of clothes."

"...How long were we missing?"

"Well it took the teachers three hours to realized Ron wasn't lying about you disappearing without a trace and to find the leftover time sand. Professor Flitwick said that he's going to have a chat with Hermione about reducing her classes or scheduling them so that she doesn't have to ask for another one. Ron's been given a firm warning that any other attacks will result in him being banished from the family. So about a week or so."

"I've been meaning to drop Muggle Studies and Divination since I realized how irritating they are. At least this will open me up to beginning healing," said Hermione. "Oh no! What about homework?"

"It's being held back until you return. So long as you can pass the exams at the end of the year, the teachers won't hold it against you."

Hermione sagged with relief.

"So we're to avoid Sora and the others?" asked Xion.

"You're not ready to bring _him_ back," said Luna sadly. "Just bringing the Nobody of a Princess and a potential keyblade bearer will be strain enough. Once you've recovered he'll send you back to The World That Never Was in time to save him, but after that you'll need to avoid time travel for a long time. At least a few years."

"Just so long as I don't lose Roxas, I don't care," said Xion flatly.

"Are we still going to see Merlin?" asked Hermione.

"It's better if you tease the Organization first, and wait for Sora and the others to leave," said Luna.

* * *

 _An hour later..._

Axel was literally on the hard ground laughing his ass off. He couldn't help it. Every single one of the remaining members of the Organization were wearing pink robes...well except Demyx. His were a sea blue that matched his weapon. He didn't seem nearly as irritated as the rest.

Of course that was nothing compared to what happened when he saw Ansem without the hood. His hair was bubblegum pink!

Hermione twitched.

"Tania, wasn't he pretending to be..."

"Yeah, but he was very rude to Naminé and he was a bit of a stand-off jerk last time I saw him, so I wasn't feeling charitable," said Xion flatly.

"...This had better not affect my chances when you finally introduce me to him."

"Trust me, he might act cool and aloof, but he's incredibly shy around girls. Personally I want to see Sora's reaction when he realizes his best friend has a fan," said Xion snickering.

Xemnas narrowed his eyes at the blue-eyed girl.

"You. You were destroyed."

Xion blinked, before she conjured a mirror.

"Luna, you could have said something about how my eyes wouldn't revert back," she complained.

"Well it's not like it's going to matter when we return, and it makes it easier for your old self to fight," shrugged Luna.

"Not seeing how having my original form is going to help."

"Tania isn't the one who's been training with Master Aqua. And every time you come to the past you'll revert to your original self," said Luna.

"I still have Mirage, right?"

"That much hasn't changed. Just your appearance."

Xemnas looked angry at being so blatantly ignored.

"You're a mistake. A mere copy of a copy. You shouldn't exist," said Xemnas.

"And you're the Nobody who gets off on stealing the bodies of children and taking control of them. Now hush, I'm talking with someone who's input I actually care about," said Xion without thinking. Hermione snickered, because if there was every proof that Tania spent far too much time around the Black sisters, that was it.

"Oh right, I forgot Xemnas was the Nobody of Xenahort," said Hermione, snapping her fingers.

"And Axel's other half is named Lea," said Xion, smirking.

"...We are so going to have a talk about how you know all this stuff later," said Axel.

Luna promptly pressed a book in his hands.

"Read. It'll make a little more sense if you do," she said simply.

Seeing Xemnas' patience was almost gone, Xion grinned evilly.

"Enjoy your new coats! And while we go have fun, why don't you play with one of my new friends!" said Xion.

That phoenix Nobody felt old. Old enough to be around in this time as well.

Seeing the looks on the Organization's faces when they saw the massive Nobody following Xion's orders was absolutely worth it! Especially since it refused to answer theirs.


	27. Memories and returing home with extras

Hermione was in cloud nine after meeting Merlin. Since they would have to come back just to get home anyway, she agreed to stick around and learn more magic from the eccentric wizard. She'd be rooming with Aerith and Yuffie, but she'd be learning with _the_ Merlin.

Of course it was nothing compared to how over the moon the three fairies were when they realized they had _three_ test subjects to give special outfits to.

Naminé was particularly eager, since she had only ever had the one dress and never expected to live longer than a year or so.

With their new outfits ready (because she forgot to take off the coat, it was included into the outfit) and the girls now fully stocked for an adventure, it didn't take long before they started to abuse the Corridor of Darkness.

Axel considered going on ahead, but Merlin informed him that it would be impossible unless Xion was there to insure he didn't get lost in time. So instead he decided to keep Hermione company and help out with the heartless. Besides, Cid wanted someone to help act as a test driver and the others were far too busy.

"So where to first?" asked Xion.

"I want to find someplace where I can get the Chocobo contract," said Luna.

"I'm good for anywhere," said Naminé.

"We're off to find the Chocobo contract then," said Xion cheerfully.

* * *

 _Two weeks later..._

Hermione looked up to find Tania and the others returning...a little more frayed than normal.

"What happened this time?"

"Ixion. Xaldin. Beast's castle. Giant, pain in the _ass_ Heartless that just wouldn't die," Tania summed up. Hermione looked at Naminé.

"There was a massive thunderstorm in Beast's castle, and while we were hunting down the source after hearing that it had been around for over two weeks, we ended up in Beast's castle where Xaldin almost turned him into a heartless. On the plus side Sora and the others didn't recognize us. On the downside, Xion's Black side came out and nearly broke Sora's nose."

"Being a Princess doesn't automatically make you a goody-two-shoes. You can have a sarcastic and acerbic attitude and still be a good person. It'll just be deep down," said Luna, more amused than anything. Then again, she was related to the Black sisters by marriage and now adoption.

"Did you at least get the contract for Luna?"

"Do you think we'd come back if we didn't?" said Xion tiredly. She looked exhausted and ready for a shower and bed.

"By the way... Merlin said it's about time to send us home."

"It's been what, almost a month?"

"Closer to two. It was hard getting the ingredients without Maleficent catching wind, and while normally he can travel by himself using only magic, because we came here with a broken time turner he needed to find something to counteract and shield us from time sand. Otherwise we might cancel ourselves out on the return trip."

"Will this take longer than I need to shower, nap and get something to eat?"

"It can wait a few days for us to pack," said Hermione. She looked at Luna. "How many contracts does this make?"

"Eight. Considering our world is blocked off, I would have been lucky to get that many the normal way. The highest my mother's family ever got was three and that was pushing it."

She had Ifrit to start, and had added the Chocobo, Ixion, Shiva, Bahamut, Typhoon, Odin, and Titan contracts. Two of which were on the same world, namely Odin and Ixion. That had been a lucky break.

Naminé still laughed at how badly the tiny red dragon got yelled at for helping Luna secure Bahamut's contract. Even if they found out that the Dragon summon was more than happy to cooperate upon learning who she was.

Apparently he was one of the few summons contracted to the girl's mother.

* * *

 _The next morning..._

"So how long will we be gone?"

"At least a month," said Merlin.

"In that case, we might as well get ready. If we're going to pull a fast one on the old man, we'll have to work quick."

"Fast one?" said Hermione.

"Naminé has the ability to manipulate the memories of those around her. Originally it was restricted to Sora and those connected to him, but with her own heart, she can do it to anyone. So we're going to cheat and make it look like she was a student the entire time in Hufflepuff sharing my dorm."

"What about Axel?"

"Professor Ignis, you mean. He'll teach the older students so Professor Wayfinder can focus on the younger years," said Xion impishly.

"Now wait a minute!" said Axel. It was bad enough dealing with this many teenagers!

"Would you rather deal with people only now learning how to cast magic without a stick? The first through fourth years?" asked Xion.

"Yes! At least then I won't have to worry about school girl with crushes!" said Axel emphatically.

"Fine, I'll have to warn Aqua she's about to get an assistant Professor. Once Naminé has her magic up and running, by the time anyone catches on it'll be too late to do anything about it."

"So as far as everyone's concerned, Naminé Heart is your roommate and Axel Ignis is the assistant Defense teacher?" said Hermione.

"And we were only gone for a month, not close to four," said Xion.

After hearing Hermione wished to be a Red mage, instead of just another wish, she had spent most of her time learning under Merlin, who was thrilled to have such an enthusiastic student. The only times she took off studying was when Xion and the others dragged her to other worlds, such as Neverland.

Apparently it _was_ because she was terrified of flying on a broom that she was unable to fly for long periods. Once freed of that restriction, she flew almost as fast as Xion did!

"Hold tightly to each other now," said Merlin. They were all in a circle, holding hands. It looked ridiculous, but it wasn't really.

Because she had her eyes open, Xion saw herself and a screaming Hermione pass by them. Merlin evidently had a sense of humor, because they crash landed in the Great Hall during lunch.

"Well this is awkward," said Xion...before the feedback hit her like a brick and she suddenly passed out.

* * *

"She's awake!"

Tania slowly opened her eyes, before she flinched at the sudden influx of light. She felt like crap, and she could tell her MP was dangerously low.

"How long was I out?"

"A week," said Madam Pomprhey flatly. "Fortunately Professor Ignis was quick to get you to the hospital wing once he realized something was wrong."

 _'So the memory spell took.'_

"You'll have to stay another day, but that gives you plenty of time to catch up on your homework. Fortunately it seems you've found a way to only miss five weeks work," she continued. Seeing that her patient was more interested in her friends, she sighed. "Visiting hours end in an hour."

Susan, Hannah and Neville were on her left. Hermione, Naminé and Luna were on her right.

"So... you did a mass modification of the memories of everyone in the castle?" said Susan.

"It made it easier to slip them into the school without the headmaster picking up on it. Naminé is good at that," said Tania.

"...Thanks for telling us the truth and not modifying our memories too."

"What happened? Why did I pass out?"

"It was backlash from bringing two new Hearts with you. Because you helped us gain our own, and we were passing through the time stream, you had to maintain a shield the entire trip back. It drained your magic pretty quickly, so much so it ate into your health as well."

Tania winced. That was a lot of magical power.

"I've been put into the advanced Defense classes with Professor Wayfinder, which means I'll be joining you in some of your extra lessons. Mostly I'll be working on my White magic, because Merlin got my Black magic up to speed."

"So no one is complaining about the two extras I brought back?"

"They took to the memories I implanted fairly easy. I kept them simple and basic, so the issues should be minimal unless they bother to look at the grades. I've had to personally implant those," said Naminé. She suddenly giggled. "Shadow nearly had a heart attack when he saw Axel and realized Snape was discussing attack magic with him like it was nothing out of the ordinary."

Tania snickered. She bet it had been a real shock, recognizing Axel from the Organization!

"I should thank Shadow for sending all those potions with Luna."

"Before you ask, he's been given strict instructions not to give you any, even if they might work. Your core was dangerously strained when you landed, though we managed to only be put on watch for the week," said Hermione.

"You know what that means don't you?" said Tania.

"What?"

"I finally get to catch up on my sleep!"

She hadn't been able to sleep soundly, because the Organization was after her and had the most annoying habit of finding her.

"Oh! I almost forgot! That phoenix Nobody said if we could restore him back to the way he was, he'd give me his contract. I also have Cerberus' and the basilisk's contract as well."

"How did you get those?! You only had the eight when we left!" said Hermione.

"I went to the other Castle and asked them. Though I had to have Demyx translate for the phoenix. But now I have an even ten!" said Luna proudly.

"You can wait until next year to get any more. Or at least until I get Roxas back," said Tania. Luna nodded. It was a miracle she had managed to collect as many as she had so quickly. It normally took years.

Once they caught her up on the week's events, Tania planned to sleep.

Instead she was awakened by a very happy Demyx while the mediwitch was at dinner, assured her patient wouldn't be leaving the room, especially since Dobby had shown up with Tania's favorite order of food.

"You're back!"

"Ooph! Demyx, not so tight! Anyway, I didn't return alone."

Demyx looked at her.

"What?"

"I brought back Axel and Naminé with me. It's why I'm stuck here and restricted to homework only for the next week. If you want I could possibly have Naminé work you into the castle as a student, though you'll have to do actual work," repeated Xion.

"Axel's back? What about..."

"I was told that we'd bring Roxas when this year ends, so he can fit into the fourth years. My health bar was dangerously low when we landed here since I was shielding Axel and Naminé on the way back. I'm sure he'd be happy to talk to you in between classes if you're interested," said Xion.

"I'll bug him later. We can surprise him with us playing," said Demyx, grinning.

"...I nearly broke Sora's nose."

"Oh, this I have to hear. And why do I remember my coats turning blue for months?"

Xion grinned, and told him about the pranks she left behind for the Organization. Demyx was laughing his butt off, because he remembered the aftermath of most of them. He had to leave because Dobby warned them of the medi-witch returning.

* * *

 _The next afternoon..._

Tania was cracking up when she saw Axel get tackled in a hug by a very enthusiastic Demyx.

Aqua was surprisingly fine with sharing classes with the red-haired fire wielder.

Apparently she knew his Somebody Lea.

"You idiot, let go of me!" said Axel.

"Totally worth not warning you about the fact he visits Hogwarts often," said Tania, wiping tears of amusement from her eye.

"Is he here for another round of playing music with you?" asked Aqua.

"Partially, but I'm mostly here to bug Axel and see Naminé again," admitted Demyx.

"What do you mean play music?" asked Axel.

"Oh yeah, you haven't heard Xion play yet. I still find it funny she stole that grand piano from Castle Oblivion," said Demyx.

Intrigued, Tania took them to the Room of Requirement. Luna, Hermione, Naminé and most of the Hogwarts ghosts collected nearby.

She took a seat on the piano, before looking at Demyx.

"I'm thinking Linkin Park's _What I've Done_ is a good start," she said.

"Ready when you are," said Demyx, sitting on a chair provided by the room.

Tania began to play, allowing herself to be lost in the music. For those who had never heard her sing, it was a nice surprise. She wasn't someone who made a living off her voice, but she could hold a tune reasonably well and she could really play.

When the first song was done, she played a few keys of " _Angel with a Shotgun_ " and Demyx smoothly switched over.

Unseen by the two players, Susan and Hannah had arrived and had already hijacked the Wizarding Wireless again. By now the knew how to do it on their own, and most of those who listened to the radio preferred it when it happened.

"Wow...she's good," said Axel in open surprise. He was whispering, so as not to interrupt them.

" _Tania was given lessons for years while she was still a kid, kupo. She acted like Roxas did for the first week, until she woke up at eleven and got her keyblade back. She still takes lessons during the summer, but she doesn't really need them as much, kupo."_

"How are you here anyway?"

" _I'm classed as her pet, kupo. Though I generally spend the year as assistant potions professor. I crashed here a year or so after Sora beat the Organization, and if not for Xion I'd be stuck here as a 'pet' to ungrateful wizards, kupo. I can't wait to see Roxas again, kupo!"_ said Shadow.

It was why the repairs on the Gummi took so long. At first he had high hopes of a quick fix, but apparently several of the blocks became destabilized after being stuck in this world. Fortunately he had a steady business, so he should be able to get it working by at _least_ next year.


	28. Hades and the growing army

Naminé disliked Ron. It had nothing to do with the stories she heard from Xion...Tania...or the others and everything to do with how the boy watched her. It made her skin crawl.

Tania was finally off restricted spellwork, and she had plans for Ron. Ones she informed his family of, after returning.

Bill Weasley had agreed that his youngest brother needed to get his head out of his arse, and that Ron would only be learning the value of hard work.

Phil was terrifying to the lazy, not dangerous.

Which was why the first thing she did was corner Ron in Defense class with Axel's help...and then drag his sorry arse to Olympus Coliseum.

Ron tried to fight her off, but her grip strength was much stronger than his. When he realized who she was taking him to, his struggle redoubled in earnest.

"What do we have here. Oh, it's you. Hello Tanny," said Phil. He liked the girl because she worked hard and didn't complain once.

"Hi Phil. I brought you a new...recruit. He's particularly eager to take your Hero's Special training for the next two months. He'll also have to do his homework, so don't let him slack off," said Tania with a grin that would give Hades nightmares.

"Gotcha. I do this and you give Hades headaches?"

"I'll give him something else to work on other than harassing Hercules," she agreed. Like getting his guard dog back. Without Cerberus he had to keep the dead in himself.

* * *

During the weekend, Tania waited until Hades showed up to bother Hercules. Phil had a camera ready, and a pensieve to remember the look on the annoying god's face when he realized what happened to his guard dog.

"Get him!"

Hearing the familiar howl, Hades was completely blindsided when Cerberus bowled into him, knocking him flat on his ass...before promptly returning to Tania's side when she whistled.

"Such a good dog," she said, scratching his right head's ears.

"You...! How did you steal Cerberus?!"

"I found him and gave him a better offer. All the heartless he could chase after and the occasional cow. Well that and I give him actual affection and bother to play with him. He was tired of your temper tantrums," said Tania, as if talking to an idiot.

Phil was snapping away with the camera at the look on Hades' face. His expression was a cross between pissed, shocked, and confused. In short he looked rather constipated.

Hades left after failing to get his guard dog back.

Hercules walked up to Tania. Cerberus would have growled, except Tania lightly bopped him on the nose.

"Are you sure it's safe, keeping Hades' dog like that? I've fought him before," he asked, genuinely concerned.

"It's easier to show you than it is to explain. Cerberus, sit boy."

Cerberus sat on command.

"Lay down."

The front paws slid down, allowing him to lay flat.

"Roll over," she said firmly.

Hercules had to move to avoid being flattened by the massive dog. Even Phil was impressed.

"How...?"

"Obedience training. I had to teach my aunt's dog all the same commands, so I figured why not see if Cerberus would be willing to learn the same ones? Turns out Hades only taught him to stay and to attack. He's actually a really smart dog...but that's to be assumed since he has three times the brainpower. Once you get to know him, he's a really sweet dog. Isn't that right?"

Cerberus licked her from top to bottom, covering her in doggy drool.

"I can't believe you turned _Cerberus_ into a playful puppy," said Phil.

"He's no more dangerous than a fully trained Rottweiler," scoffed Tania. "The trick is to avoid showing fear when you first meet him and to show the traits of being the dominant one, otherwise he'll just eat you."

Phil shook his head in disbelief.

"Girl, you've got some guts. And you've got the skills to back it up! After that display I'm going to promote you to full Hero! Keep this up and you'll catch up to Herc in no time!" said Phil impressed.

Tania grinned. Roxas and Sora were going to be so jealous that she beat them in the race to impress Phil the Satyr.

She left Cerberus back in the World That Never Was. He was a happy dog, because she also left him some cows to munch on.

* * *

"Mission accomplished, I also got plenty of blackmail photos on Hades," said Tania smugly.

"I can't believe you turned the guard dog of the dead into your pet," said Axel.

"Believe it. That thing would be a lapdog if it could," said Demyx darkly.

"You're just mad because he figured out he could chase your water clones and not get in trouble for it. He wasn't too happy you used your water attacks to give him a bath," said Tania snickering.

"He reeked of sulfur and the dead! I thought he could handle it!" said Demyx.

"I never said he didn't need one, but next time we're doing it someplace with _fresh_ water. You made him stink even worse," countered Tania, causing Axel to laugh. Demyx pouted. How he was he supposed to know that his attacks would draw from the ocean water in Neverland, rather than the spring?

" _Didn't he chase you all over Neverland for that, only to keep it up until she banned him from the castle, kupo?"_ said Shadow, adding to it.

Axel laughed even harder.

"If I remember right, the Lost Boys got into it, until Pan decided you'd had enough and reminded you that you could fly and he couldn't," said Tania, snickering.

"What is this, pick on a Nobody day?" whined Demyx. "Besides, it didn't help. He still charred my coat with those stupid flaming boogers of his."

"Wait, that dog can launch fireballs?!" said Axel.

"Hades never really cared about him, but apparently some of the souls are persistent. So it developed a way to deal with them. And since he was around the Underworld so long, he naturally developed fire abilities. And since Hades didn't notice..."

"He never had Cerberus go all out on Hercules. His loss I guess. What about the snake?" asked Axel.

"She's enjoying having an entire world to roam around, and she guards the lower reaches of the castle. The phoenix will be dealt with soon enough," said Tania.

"I gotta admit, it's weird being in the castle and knowing it's empty," said Axel.

"Eh, you get used to it. Besides, Tania's been using it as her personal home base and she's there often enough to do laundry," said Demyx.

Axel scowled. He had been warned about the house elves, and after his first meal he opted to the same solution Xion had come up with.

He had Dobby deliver food from outside, or went and picked it up himself. As per agreement (mostly out of fear of what Xion could come up with if annoyed) they left her stash of ice cream alone.

"So what are we going to do? I mean things seem fairly calm around here now that the modification has taken hold," said Luna.

"Nothing. I need to start saving up energy and learning how to control this power so that I don't pass out when I bring Roxas back. Considering Merlin is going to try and pinpoint the best time to do it, I'm going to try and drag him back to the Castle. That way if anything tries to attack they'll be stopped by the Nobodies and the others," said Xion.

"Until then," started Aqua, moving from where she had been leaning against the wall, "I'm going to push you hard and up your magical training. Your skill with your keyblade has improved during the months you were gone, but we'll need to improve your MP if you're going to be using your other powers. I don't like how low your HP was when you came back."

Tania had been dangerously in the red...enough for a Limit Break.. and her MP was shot to hell. She had been far too close for Aqua's taste to being killed a second time.

Then again, she had been the one doing most of the shielding while she transported them home.

She then turned her attention to Luna.

"You're going to join our sessions. As a summoner, you'll require much larger stores of magic to call upon the more powerful beasts, especially in succession. And they will respect you more if they know you can handle the strain."

Luna nodded.

"My mother mentioned that in her notes. How the summons listened more if the summoner had the strength to back up the command. Some of the weaker summoners were killed trying to bring out the older ones," said Luna.

She could call upon them _once_ , before she was tapped out. But then again she had been more focused on gaining contracts, not leveling up. Considering their limited time in the past, it had been the best option for getting the others used to traveling between worlds. Especially Naminé.

Diz and the others were _not_ happy learning she was out and about, or that she had gone 'rogue'.

She refused to be used as a weapon against Sora or Roxas again. And Diz had made his feelings on Nobodies perfectly clear. Xion might have had her use her powers, but it was to benefit _her_ in the long term, rather than help along some plan.

" _That reminds me, I need to get Naminé caught up on potions, Kupo,"_ said Shadow.

Because they had essentially dumped her in the same classes as Tania, she did need help catching up. Fortunately she was a very fast learner, so no one really picked up on the fact she hadn't been there for two years before. That plus Narcissa had loaned Tania a pensieve and instructed her on the use. Between than and the Hufflepuff's helping out whenever she needed it, and Naminé was successfully able to infiltrate the castle.

She did keep changing her hair color ever week though. As much as she liked being blond, she found the idea of being able to change her hair into different colors a lot of fun and it helped her coordinate her drawings.

She was particularly fascinated with the moving portraits. It was fairly obvious she planned to become a painter once she 'graduated'.

* * *

"Dumbledore" frowned at his pet Heartless. He had become more and more frayed of late, and was showing all the signs of undergoing what many thought of a burning day.

In reality the phoenix absorbed minor Heartless and their memories, before undergoing a renewal.

But for some reason, he had been unable to absorb the Heartless he had allowed into the castle two years ago, and thus was lacking the required energy. While his hold on this world was strong, it had taken quite a bit of time collecting enough Heartless to form the creature.

And if that wasn't enough, when he tried to bring in more, he had found the crack he had created sealed by not one, but _two_ Keyblades. One of which was from a Keyblade Master at least.

It had been difficult enough finding the keyhole and loosening it to this point! There was no way he'd be able to repeat the effort it had taken. Not while that blasted girl was stirring things up!

When he had heard of Titania Potter _surviving_ a curse he knew destroyed Heart and Soul, he had been suspicious. Though his pawn, he had learned the girl was less than a Nobody in awareness. Easy enough to convince to join his side, and not worthy of his attention.

That changed after first year. Something had awakened inside her, allowing Soul and Heart to stir her emotions which had been dormant.

And now she was completely out of his grasp. Tania knew better than to trust _any_ of his usual pawns, and when Remus tried to broach the subject with her, she had cut him off without hesitation.

After that, the werewolf quickly realized he might lose any chance of connecting to the last remaining piece of his friends, and had backed off.

"Dumbledore" frowned.

There were two pieces he recognized, but for the life of him couldn't remember adding.

Professor Ignis, who taught the first through fourth years, and Naminé Heart. Two completely ordinary people, save for the fact that he would swear on his darkness that they hadn't existed before.

Eyes widening, "Dumbledore" scowled.

He knew the two, but he didn't remember anything specific. All the hallmarks of someone using a mass memory spell to modify the mind to suit their own needs.

Because it was so basic and generic, it was only natural that humans would latch onto the fake memories and adjust them as necessary until they couldn't tell the difference. Whoever did this was no amateur. If not for his Darkness, he would have fallen for the same trap.

Someone with a powerful ability had entered the game. He needed to find them before either that fool Riddle or the new faction belonging to Potter got their hands on them.

* * *

"So what are we going to call ourselves? I mean 'Dumbledore' has the Order of the Phoenix, You-Know-Who has his Death Eaters..." said Hannah.

"Why do we have to come up with a name?" asked Tania. Sitting next to her was Naminé with her sketchpad. She was drawing up designs to suggest to the fairies next time they saw them.

"It'll make our group more official, for one," said Susan.

"And it'll give them something to mention to outsiders in hopes of getting them to join. You've pretty much snagged all the neutrals, save for those too closely aligned to certain factions like the Weasleys," said Hannah.

Those closely aligned to the "Light" like the Weasleys or the older generation who fought with the "good guys" during the war would be too wary or distrust Tania completely because she had more or less gained the allegiance of the darker neutrals.

And upon finding out that she had gained the title as the true Heir of Slytherin and wielded his infamous blade, all the graduates who didn't agree with You-Know-Who had immediately jumped ship to Tania's side. Mostly because they had been rather skeptical of _his_ claims on the title.

Her lineage was clear, her magical power obvious...and she had made it abundantly clear she wouldn't fall in line with Dumbledore.

The fact she respected the old ways enough to deal with people who got on her bad side the way her ancestors would have was another big plus. It made the Traditionalists like her more than they did Dumbledore.

The Progressives liked her solely because while she did adhere to the older traditions, she stayed close to modern trappings and treated all creatures fairly. Case in point, her 'pet' Moogle, who easily qualified for the status of "Being" rather than "Beast".

The fact was Tania didn't _need_ to raise an army right off the bat. She simply had to bide time while word spread, and they'd come to her.

"I'll think on it," said Tania.


	29. Christmas Chaos and the end of Fawkes

Naminé seemed particularly upbeat when she realized what month it was. December meant Christmas, Christmas meant Santa. And unlike Sora, Xion never stopped believing in Santa.

She knew he was real. Then again, she had been present when Hermione corrupted the little witch Lock from Halloweentown.

Fifteen minutes with her, and Lock took control of their band of troublemakers and got her own wand to hex the boys into submission.

Of course it was nothing compared to the fact that she would be meeting Xion's...no, Tania (she had to keep reminding herself of Xion's name)... aunt. Plus she had been guaranteed that there would be toddlers for her to play with, and what little kid didn't like making a mess with water color paints?

* * *

Petunia raised an eyebrow at the introduction of Naminé, but at this point she had already figured out that Tania and the other girls would be sharing the same room.

Tania noticed something about her aunt that made her frown.

She waited until it was time for them to make dinner together, while Naminé and Luna watched the twins, before confronting her.

"Auntie...why do you have a hand-shaped bruise on your left shoulder?" she asked quietly. Petunia flinched.

"I think something's happening to Vernon. He's been drinking more often... and last week..."

Tania's hand gripped the pan a little tighter.

"Has he gone after the twins?"

"He wouldn't dare. But if he ever actually hits me I'm leaving him. The only thing tying me down is Dudley, and if nothing else we can take him with us," said Petunia tightly.

"I have plenty of room in the Castle, and if that doesn't suit your taste I can leave you in Radiant Garden. I'm sure they'd love having someone who knows how to cook. And I know for a fact Aerith wouldn't mind helping out with the twins."

"I will take you up on that if he doesn't straighten out. And I'd rather be close to a shopping center," said Petunia.

"Radiant Garden then."

"So who is your new friend?"

"Naminé is someone mostly like me, except she had the power to manipulate memories of those around her. So far we're keeping her under the radar until next year. By the time they figure out that the memories have been tampered with, it'll be too late to do anything about it. She just has to keep them in place to become a registered member of the school as a student," said Tania.

"Why next year?"

"There's someone important I want to find. One of my magic instructors said I might have the power to bring him here if I got stronger and waited for the ripples to settle down. Though once I find him, I'll be time-locked out of the recent past."

"Who is 'he'?"

"Her boyfriend, or he will be once he remembers," said Luna.

"Oh? So you're taking an interest in boys finally?"

"It's less of an interest and more that he's her soul mate. There's a red string of fate that ties them together, just as another string ties him to his twin brother Sora. The thing is that the strings got crossed, so he went missing. She has to find him," said Luna.

"I see. Would this boy's name be Roxas by any chance?" asked Petunia.

Tania gave her aunt an odd look.

"You didn't think I missed the fascination with his character did you? I take it that the games aren't what they appear?"

"They're more or less based on what really happened, just with modifications to fit into a game format."

"So Naminé is the girl from the second game, and not just someone who looks like her. I thought it was odd how similar she looked to the game character," said Petunia. Seeing the look on Tania's face, she chuckled.

"It gets quite boring while the twins are sleeping and Vernon's at work, so occasionally I borrow your games. I liked the Disney them in _Kingdom Hearts_ so I got hooked," said Petunia.

"Hermione's in love with Riku. She's practically learned everything she could about him from the games," grinned Tania.

"So which one are you?"

"Number 14, Xion. And Shadow is the same shop Moogle from the game _358/2 Days_ ," said Xion.

"One of these days you're going to sit down and explain everything properly. Just not today. I take it Naminé doesn't have any clothes to wear?"

"I can get some money from my trust vault. As far as the goblins are concerned she's from my family line," said Tania.

When Xion gave Naminé a heart using her power, rather than let it happen like she did with Axel, she accidentally adopted Naminé into the Potter family. As such Naminé had started to show signs of being a metamorph like Tania and Tonks. Because she was the Nobody of a Princess of the Heart, Naminé already had several unique gifts. And her powers were only growing now that Xion had pretty much freed her from Kairi's shadow.

It was just good fortune for the worlds at large that Naminé chose to follow Xion, rather than fall into the hands of someone nefarious like Xemnas or worse, Diz.

Diz was really the TRUE Ansem the Wise, but that didn't mean Xion or her friends trusted him. His opinion on Nobodies was abundantly clear...as was his feelings about Xion, who he openly called an abomination.

The one time he tried to either reclaim or kill Naminé, Xion broke his nose and took out two teeth with her punch. She credited her gymnastics lessons from when she was younger...unknown to her aunt, one of the instructors knew aikido and taught some of the girls self defense lessons. One of which was the rather quiet Tania, because she genuinely worried the girl might become a target for less reputable boys later.

She didn't feel one iota of guilt hitting him like that. He completely deserved it.

* * *

Naminé was blindsided as she was dragged from store to store with Luna and an enthusiastic Tania. Petunia mostly came because she was the one who drove them. She considered it a nice outing to get away from Vernon, who had become increasingly erratic of late.

Something about him made her genuinely fear for the children.

"Come on Naminé! You have to get something nice to wear, and it's a miracle we were able to bribe Susan for a set of her spare uniforms!" said Tania.

Because of how abruptly Naminé came into the school, she didn't have _any_ of the supplies. Fortunately Tania didn't mind loaning her books to the girl, and they generally paired up anyway. Susan, when informed of the situation, helped out by loaning her spare uniforms to help hide the truth.

By the end of the trip, Naminé had three sets of clothing, several new art supplies, and a doll she could keep. It was a half-sized Moogle, and she had gotten used to cuddling with Shadow.

Unknown to the school, Tania and Naminé shared not only the same room, but the same bed as well. It was like a sleepover every night.

It was certainly less awkward than having to explain to Dobby why they needed him to steal an extra bed from storage, and Naminé hated being alone. Especially when she was still getting used to her heart.

They were both girls, so Tania didn't really care. Besides, Naminé was just as fascinated with Roxas.

It was when they got back from their shopping trip that Tania suspected what was really going on with Vernon.

"Auntie... you've been playing the games, right?"

"The _Kingdom Hearts_ series at least. I wanted to see if it would be appropriate to play around children or not," said Petunia.

"Then you know what happens when someone is consumed by Darkness."

Petunia blinked, before she looked and really looked at her husband. He did seem...darker...than before. Almost like there was a shadow around him.

"What's happening to him?"

"There is a Darkness seeping into Lost Avalon, which is what this world was designated...at least according to Merlin. So far it's consumed the 'headmaster' and his pet phoenix. Either Vernon is naturally falling prey to the Darkness, or the headmaster might be making a move against me in order to scare me. I can't tell which."

"Why are you still in that school then?"

"Because if we don't draw it out into the open, the Darkness festering in this world will never be freed enough to open the natural pathways. I use something that allows me to slip past whenever I leave, but other keyblade wielders had to use the harder methods to escape. Apparently none of them were discreet enough," said Tania.

"If I remember correctly, if someone turns into a Heartless then they also turn into a Nobody. Then the only way to restore them is to get rid of their heartless and Nobody and they'll return to normal."

"Yes, but there are exceptions."

"Such as?"

"The heartless getting eaten by a greater Heartless, someone being killed by the 'Killing Curse', and of course if someone is attacked by dementors. Though that last two seems to be thankfully confined to this world only."

"If he turns into a Heartless, I'm calling you directly," said Petunia flatly.

"If he does, I'll deal with him and take you and the twins someplace safe," countered Tania. "We'd have to pick up Dudley later."

* * *

Naminé had to admit, she rather enjoyed her first _real_ Christmas.

Tania also rather enjoyed it, even if she started making preparations to move her aunt off-world to protect her. Of course she did find it amusing that she had inadvertently gotten her aunt hooked on video games.

But like all good times, it must come to an end. Even if the end wasn't what they were expecting.

"What is that bird doing in here?!" said Petunia, shielding the twins.

"It's the fake phoenix!" said Tania.

'Fawkes' shrieked loudly, before dive bombing at Vernon.

All the darkness that had been collecting in him burst out, turning him into a rather rotund Heartless. It crashed into the pictures on the wall, causing them to fall and crack.

"Why you...!" said Petunia, furious.

Naminé closed her eyes, and reached out for her magic.

A barrier of magic surrounded the house. It cut off all retreat...but it also forced 'Fawkes' and the heartless that was once Vernon to stay as well.

"I can keep them here. If you can defeat them, then you can try and find his Nobody later to restore him," said Naminé.

She was one of the best support mages Xion had ever seen.

"Protect Aunt Petunia and the twins. Luna and I will deal with these two...as long as the barrier extends to the backyard."

Naminé nodded.

"The barrier covers the entire property. As far as anyone will known, someone broke in and wrecked the place," said Naminé.

Xion nodded.

"Let's go, Luna!"

"Right!"

 _Four hours later..._

"...Do I dare ask what happened to the yard?"

"Immortal firebirds are a pain to kill, especially when the stupid thing kept trying to siphon off energy from Vernon," said Xion, leaning against the charred remnants of a tree.

"And Shiva was very difficult to bring out for some reason. I think he had an area effect that caused the cost for Ice attacks to go up," said Luna with a huff.

"I see. What about Vernon?"

Xion shook her head.

"I don't know what that thing did, but after siphoning so much off of his heartless, it disappeared. I have no idea if he's still around or not," said Xion.

Petunia slumped.

"How am I going to explain this to the neighbors, much less the cops?"

"We'll tell them someone broke in through the back door. I did enough damage to make that much believable. We can file a missing person's report, and claim you've gone off to live with Marge until the police find Vernon. In the meantime you'll be moved off world with the twins and Dudley," said Xion firmly.

Shadow appeared on her shoulder.

" _I can at least seat that many on my Gummi Ship, kupo! It's not up to traveling between very many worlds, but it's made the trip to Radiant Garden and back from here several times, kupo!"_ said Shadow.

"I don't think I have very much to smile about," said Petunia.

"Then I'll take you through the Corridor. Dobby and the others can keep the twins entertained more than enough to power the ship."

Hearing the sirens coming, they put their plan into action.

Petunia gave the house one last look, as she packed her things. If and when Vernon was brought back, she might return, but for now she'd rather keep moving forward.

At least she'd be removing one more pawn against Tania, if the 'headmaster' really _was_ one of the minions of Darkness.


	30. The Three Factions

**Yes people, I got Lock and Shock mixed up. It's been a while since I watched the movie so it's a miracle I remembered what the trio of hellions were even called. Sorry about the mix up.**

* * *

"No way... your uncle was turned into a Heartless?!" hissed Hermione on the train.

"And we killed Fawkes too," added Naminé.

"I relocated Aunt Petunia, the twins and Dudley off to Radiant Garden. Last I checked, Dudley was working with Leon to be part of the restoration committee. I think he got hooked on the idea of fighting like his video games," said Tania.

"Still I can't believe Fawkes attacked you like that," said Susan.

"I can. It means Dumbledore made his first move against me, or Fawkes picked up on the fact Vernon would soon be a heartless."

"What does that have to do with anything?" asked Hannah.

"Fawkes kept his 'immortality' nonsense up by devouring stronger heartless and taking their power. It made him a total pain in the arse to kill," said Tania tiredly.

"Not to mention that he negated all fire damage and he rose the temperature so high it was a nightmare hitting him with ice attacks or using Shiva," complained Luna.

"And the yard was completely ruined by the fire damage," said Naminé, shaking her head. It was a headache modifying enough memories to make everyone believe a minor explosive went off, and that Vernon had been kidnapped by the culprit. The insurance alone would keep Petunia afloat for a while, but now that she was off world Tania held it in trust. The house was likely going to be put up for sale once they had everything moved out of it.

"So what are you going to do now?" asked Hannah.

"I've already alerted Narcissa about what happened. They're going to step up on the recruiting or curtailing the power base of everyone who supports Dumbledore. You-Know-Who is pretty much a side note considering I've gutted his more traditional-based supporters when I exposed his heritage and claimed the title of Slytherin. The only ones left are the fanatical idiots, and none of them would stand a chance against the traditionalists, much less the other forces I have behind me."

"Yeah, you pretty much took control of the younger set of the traditional faction when you pretty much declared your status as the true Heir of Slytherin without forcing them to submit at the same time. The fact you dealt with the former head of the Weasley family and his errant wife the proper way won you some major brownie points," said Susan.

"I've been meaning to ask. What exactly are the traditional and progressive factions?"

"To simplify the power structure, there are three factions in the magical society. Most, if not all of the older and some of the new clans fall into one of the three. The first is the Traditionalists. They follow the old ways and pretty much fall under the same category as the nobles from the old Victorian days. They acknowledge the new muggle fads, but prefer not to mess with them and stick to the tried and true route," said Hannah.

"The second is the Progressives. They feel we should throw away most of the older traditions and marry muggles outright, or at least try to merge the worlds back together. Most of these are the more technology-bound muggleborns or families who have an unhealthy fascination with modern culture, such as the Weasleys before they were forced to change the head of house," said Tania.

After Bill took over, he forcibly made it clear that the Weasleys were no longer going to be a "Progressive" family, considering they were already going to lose a lot of face thanks to his mother's sins. He was firmly doing damage control for the foreseeable future.

"And the third?"

"Neutrals. Those that don't agree with the headmaster's so-called 'progressive' camp, but also don't agree with the whole nobility nonsense that the traditionalists seem to thrive on," said Neville.

"Tania essentially became labeled a 'Neutral' the second she was sorted into Hufflepuff, while at the same time being harassed by both camps until she struck back at them," said Hannah helpfully.

"So far she's gained a lot of allies in the Neutral camp thanks to her house placement. Hufflepuffs stick together even after we graduate. When she claimed the title of Slytherin last year, she pretty much gained a large bulk of the traditionalists, especially Slytherins who at least acknowledge power. After she dealt with Molly Weasley, she gained their respect, and they've never liked Dumbledore to begin with," explained Susan.

"As for the progressives, well she's got a lot of pull with them because she is open about her fascination with muggle culture and fads without falling prey to the same trap the Weasleys did," said Luna. "Well that and her parents were progressives, so people who respected them will at least hear her out."

"And that's not getting into the Light/Dark debate," added Neville.

"If she wasn't a Puff, it's pretty much a guarantee Dumbledore would try to gain control over her in the name of 'keeping her from going Dark', because of how much a power base she's been growing every year she's been in the magical society. No one ever suspects us of being evil," said Hannah.

"Does it bother anyone else the amount of crap he gets away with solely because of the positions he holds? He's essentially a _king_ in everything but title with the way he uses that power of his," complained Tania.

Every pure blood in there paused.

"Explain your reasoning," said Susan without a hint of hesitation.

"He rules over a castle that is filled with nobles, mere children too young to take the title. If he so chose he could hold them hostage and as ruler of the place the parents would be entirely helpless to stop him. He is one of the main judiciary members of the magical courts, to the point that cases are won or lost with _his_ favor or displeasure. And he is one of the longest running diplomats in the International Confederation of Wizards. Meaning he can make or break England's image with the world at large with his actions," explained Tania with a frown.

Hermione gasped.

"Dear Magic, she has a point. He _is_ a king in everything but title," said Hermione in horror.

"And let's not get into the fact that Dumbledore currently holds the Minister in the palm of his hand, for all the 'donations' Lucius gives the man. Fudge is more likely to listen to Dumbledore than his 'patron'," said Tania.

Hermione looked openly horrified, and for good reason. The pure bloods took it as a matter of course, save for the fact that they would be a bit more wary around Dumbledore.

"Of course there's the minor matter of the fact that I've been helping chip away at his power base on multiple fronts," said Tania.

"How could you possibly chip away _Dumbledore's_ power?" said Hannah, baffled.

"She began the day she subtly indicated she wasn't his pawn," said Luna dreamily.

"Right, the first thing she did was strip him of any power among the neutrals. Like calls to like, so when the bulk of them began to favor her over him, the rest came as well," said Susan.

A good portion of the neutrals fell into one of two camps. The Hufflepuff and a good chunk of Ravenclaw. Mostly Hufflepuff though. It was also a known fact that houses had a bigger impact on which party you tended to run with.

The Gryffindors tended to attract the progressive faction, the Slytherins had the bulk of the traditionalist faction, Hufflepuff drew the neutrals in, and Ravenclaw was the only one that had an even mixture of the three.

So when Tania began gaining control of the Hufflepuffs, who admittedly didn't lose nearly as many people as the Gryffindor or Slytherin houses after graduation during the war. In the aftermath it was the Hufflepuffs who cleaned up the mess that the lions and snakes left behind, with the Ravenclaws keeping the system going.

Needless to say that if one wished to win any battle among the pure blood and new blood factions, the quickest and often most effective method was to secure power among the neutrals.

Something Tania did her first year at Hogwarts, to the amusement of the older wizards and witches.

"Okay, so she gained control of the neutrals. What else did she do?" asked Hermione.

"She claimed three titles. First was the title as heir of the Potter family, which she gained upon using her trust vault the first time. Second was when she proved her claim on the title as Heir of Slytherin last year by displaying the lost blade of Slytherin, which he very clearly stated would only go to his true heir...something that made all of You-Know-Who's claims on the title rendered void, and removing a significant chunk of his traditionalist supporters. The third one she claimed when Black was removed from Azkaban, and he reaffirmed that she was his heir since he has no children," explained Hannah.

"The Potters had a lot of political clout that was almost lost because she was in the care of her mundane aunt and Dumbledore was allowed to use it at his discretion. The Blacks are an Ancient and Noble family, and with it comes a lot of respect and political power among the traditionalist provided she doesn't do anything to offend them too badly...like join Dumbledore's camp or try to force them to accept _technology_ ," said Hannah.

The younger generation might become enthralled with video games and modern music, but it would take something earth-shattering in nature for the older generation to catch on.

"And the Slytherin?" asked Hermione.

"Anyone who claims a seat belonging to the founders is going to get a _lot_ of notice and prestige. The fact she has the neutrals and the traditionalists on her side before that means her status among them was practically solidified. And since she essentially gained a master/apprentice bond with someone like Professor Wayfinder, it means Dumbledore can't touch any of her Wizangamot seats, and that she _technically_ has more influence on the vote than he does now," said Neville.

Hermione stared at him.

"Seriously?"

"Again, anyone who can claim a Founder's seat in the Wizangamot gains a _lot_ of political power among the older generations. Never mind that it almost automatically gains you the backing of anyone who's ever graduated from that house during the voting process, so long as you follow the right procedures and show enough power to back up your choice," said Susan.

"And considering a good chunk of the Wizangamot is filled with Slytherins..." said Neville.

"I get the picture."

"And that's _before_ her popularity with the neutrals comes into play. She could revolutionize the entire magical community once she's fifteen and passes her O.W.L.'s, which is the minimum requirement to join in on the meetings."

"I get it, I get it. Tania has somehow gained a lot of power among the older folk," grumbled Hermione.

The three pure bloods shook their head.

"You don't understand Hermione. Anyone with the amount of political capital Tania managed to get in _two years_ despite not even hitting puberty has the potential to be named _Minister_ almost after graduation, if she wanted. She could literally change the face of our society with nothing more than a whim if she wanted, provided she did it with all the right moves in play," said Susan.

"The fact she did it before she even passed the first of the mandatory magical exams, and the fact she's a known half-blood is a major fact too. It means the eyes of the entire magical population of Europe is going to be on her to see what she does, and odds are she'd would have a _lot_ of followers hoping to gain even a smidgen of the rewards to be had," said Neville.

"And if that wasn't enough, the 'light' faction has been parading her as their Golden Girl for _years_ because of what happened when her parents were murdered and she wasn't. The fact she took out You-Know-Who as an infant means that she's never going to escape notice," said Luna.

"Bet me claiming the Slytherin name has confused a lot of them," said Tania with a grin.

"Some, but most would simply delude themselves into believing you claimed it by right of conquest or something," admitted Luna.

"...I guess it a good thing you're not confined to Lost Avalon, or you'd never get any peace," said Hermione.

"What does _that_ mean?!" said Susan.

Hermione flinched, realizing with a start that Tania never told them she could world hop. As a fledgling Red mage, she took that news with a shrug.

"I can summon a portal that allows me to visit multiple worlds that have never heard of the Girl-Who-Lived, much less Hogwarts. And I guarantee you that Dumbledore's name wouldn't hold a bit of influence there."

"...If you hate Dumbledore so much, then why aren't you living there?" asked Hannah.

"This is my second home. I'm not going to be chased out by a fake leader of the Light. Besides, I'm being well compensated for sticking around and dealing with a growing issue," said Tania.

And by that she meant the fact she was going to get her friend back before he was lost. She had already saved Axel and even Naminé. The only one left to complete the group was Roxas.

"She's getting her boyfriend back," said Luna in a sing-song voice.

"He's not my boyfriend. He's my best friend," said Tania.

"Yet. Your red string of fate is faded, but not broken. Meaning you just need to make it official for it to be true," said Luna smugly.

"Grr..." said Tania. Luna and Naminé giggled at the fake growl.

"So what world shattering events are you going to bring this year?" asked Susan jokingly.

"You mean aside from the fact that both our DADA teachers are going to be there next year? Nothing."

"Wait, what?"

"You mean you broke the curse?" said Hannah.

"More like severely confused it by introducing a second teacher mid-term."

"I know! How about you contact some first gens that left and suggest they start a _muggle_ store in Hogsmeade? Then slowly infect the students with even more and more muggle trends?" said Luna excitedly.

"...You just want to keep up to date on your manga next year, instead of catching up," said Tania.

"That too," admitted Luna unashamed.

"I'd love to shop for muggle clothes at Hogsmeade. They're not as restrictive as the fashions we have now," said Hannah.

"Agreed. Aunt Amelia actually bought some herself and said they were more comfortable to wear than the boring robes she usually has on."

Tania made a face.

"Okay, how about our project next year is to update magical fashion or corrupt enough of the women into accepting muggle trends? At least to the point McGonagall can't say anything about us wearing clothes we actually _like_?"

"Agreed!" said every female in the compartment.

"Keep me out," said Neville emphatically.


	31. Meeting Sirius and Matchmaking

Tania was of mixed opinions about Hogsmeade. This would be her first _official_ meeting with Sirius Black, and it would be firmly under the watchful eyes of Andromeda, Narcissa and Aqua. Two of them were there to make it clear both sides of the light/dark debate were protective of her and to make sure she behaved in a way befitting the heir of the Black family, and the third because she was Tania's legal/magical guardian.

Sirius had been very happy learning he was finally going to see his goddaughter again. Even if the chances of him gaining custody now were next to nill.

Which was why they were meeting outside in a very public setting. Less chance of Sirius trying anything with so many of Tania's supporters nearby.

Sirius, when he spotted the four girls, made a beeline straight for the table. Once he had some tea, he had a proper look at his goddaughter.

It took him a few seconds to realize that no, she wasn't a Gryffindor but a Hufflepuff.

"Well there goes that hope of you continuing the Marauder tradition of driving McGonagall up the wall," he said, snapping his fingers in disappointment.

"Don't be too sure about that mutt. She's been doing more than her fair share of knocking that old cat down multiple pegs," said Narcissa dryly.

"Do tell," said Sirius eagerly.

"My first year I got into an argument over her because I did some minor alterations to my school robes, and eventually dragged Professor Sprout into it in order to get them back. Ever since, it's become common for every house _but_ Gryffindor to have several students with robes that still fit the basic criteria, but aren't bland and boring. We've also hijacked the Wizarding Wireless to update their music selection."

"Wait, you had to drag Sprout into an argument to get your robes back?" said Sirius in disbelief.

Tania pulled at her coat.

"This is my normal school wear. We still haven't figured out exactly _what_ her problem was with the minor alterations I made with my aunt's help, but in the first two months of school she had had the house elves confiscating my robes every time I set them out to be washed. It was so bad I started learning cleaning charms in hopes of keeping them, until my friends dragged me to Professor Sprout and she tore McGonagall a new one because I had already spoken to her about whether or not it was alright to wear them."

Sirius winced. That did sound a lot like McGonagall overreacting.

"That's not taking into account the way the Weasleys harassed me all of first year. Fortunately my housemates backed me up, and we've started gaining an army of students to change things at the school."

"How old are you again?"

"Thirteen."

"Damn. Not even a fourth year and already you're gathering a legion of minions. I heard from Remus you refuse to be in the same room as him. Is it because..."

"It's not because of his condition. I have no issue with the fact he turns furry once a month. It's because the fool kept going on and on about the virtues of Dumbledore when I made it abundantly clear I dislike him greatly," said Tania flatly.

Sirius' eyes darkened.

"I can understand why. He was one of the people present when the charm was recast and we chose Peter as Secret Keeper. He also knew I was your magically bonded godfather, and didn't say a thing about it when they arrested me. You'll not hear a word about how 'great' Albus Dumbledore is from me," said Sirius.

"Good. Then you might find me somewhat receptive to letters that I will respond to," said Tania. Sirius beamed, and there was a distinct sense of relief hearing that.

"So who is this fine young woman?" he asked, eyeing Aqua.

"My name is Aqua Wayfinder. I teach the fifth through seventh year Defense Against the Dark Arts...and I happen to be Tania's Master and guardian when her aunt is unavailable."

"Oh? And what profession are you in, pup?"

"Heartless removal," said Tania flatly. Sirius cringed, as did the other two Blacks.

"How many times have you been told that the subject isn't spoken of?" asked Andromeda.

"Multiple times, but for some reason people keep forgetting that Professor Wayfinder has been discreetly teaching the old spells to _deal_ with the heartless, in between preparing them for real life."

Seeing the looks shot at Aqua, she shrugged.

"The spells are fairly common and it's easy enough to get the books if you know where to look. A select few get to learn my personal variations on them, but only Tania is being trained in the full spectrum of my Mastery," said Aqua.

Sirius changed the subject again.

"So...do you have a boyfriend yet?"

Aqua smirked.

"Not yet, but I have it on good authority he'll be showing up at Hogwarts next year," said Aqua smugly.

"You've been talking to Luna again, haven't you?"

"She is my ward, technically. Besides, I find it cute that you'll be bringing your boyfriend to Hogwarts, especially considering he's Professor Ignis' younger brother."

They had set it up early on that Roxas would be the "younger brother" of Axel just to avoid headaches and more paperwork than it was worth. The cover story was that he had been homeschooled until this point, and was only coming because his brother mentioned how 'interesting' Hogwarts was.

Tania would "recognize" him as the boy she had mentioned a few times to her friends, and they could kick their friendship and potential buddy romance where it left off.

Needless to say her friends/teachers/sister were all rather eager to see her stumble through a fledgling relationship with the boy who technically had killed her. Though to be fair she had known if she didn't die, he would and that was something she found completely unacceptable.

"Details, leave nothing out!" said Sirius far too eagerly, with an interested Narcissa and Andromeda in his wake.

Tania groaned. Aqua smirked.

"If you really want details I can go get Professor Ignis. I'm sure he has _loads_ of stories he could share, since he knew Tania as well," said Aqua. Sirius nodded. "I'll be right back."

Sirius looked at an embarrassed Tania, before grinning.

"So what's this I hear about you having a white imp for a pet that's partially taken over the potions class?"

"That's right, you haven't met Shadow have you. I think he's in the village with Luna getting ingredients for some low-grade explosives to put under McGonagall's seat for the end of the year," said Tania.

Which he was really planning. The old cat annoyed Severus enough, and Shadow happened to like him. It was going to be a pleasant surprise for him and everyone who disliked the Transfiguration teacher.

Sirius perked up at the words "low grade explosives".

Seeing the 'white imp' with the red pom pom looking rather irritated at being interrupted in his quest to give Snape a good laugh before the end of the year, his expression quickly changed when he started talking with Sirius about prank potions.

The idea of turning McGonagall and Dumbledore green and silver at the end of the year for all the headaches they caused was _perfect_.

And to top it all off, Axel showed up and gleefully told carefully altered stories of Tania and Roxas' days in the Organization.

Of course nothing compared to how Tania chose to phrase what happened to her Uncle Vernon.

"Let me get this straight. Your Uncle turned into That-Which-Is-Not-Discussed, Fawkes showed up soon after...and you ended up killing the Headmaster's pet phoenix?" said Sirius incredulous.

"We're still not sure if Vernon's Heartless was weakened, or killed off by Fawkes. And that bird may have looked like a phoenix but I can assure you he definitely wasn't. He seemed to be feeding off Vernon while I fought him off," said Tania.

Sirius stared at her, before coming to a decision.

"That does it, I'm introducing you to the Black Family library this summer."

"Didn't you hate that house?" said Andromeda.

"If she's going to be fighting That-Which-Is-Not-Discussed, then she should be armed with as many nasty spells as possible. Besides, if she really did claim the Slytherin seat then maybe she can get my mother to shut up," said Sirius flatly.

"Depending on how bad the house is, it might be easier to clean it out and relocate most of the things in there to another location that the headmaster can't control," said Tania.

Axel looked at her.

"You thinking the castle?"

"Why not? It's not like Dumbledore could find it, much less get past Cerberus and Tia," said Tania.

"Cerberus and Tia?" repeated Narcissa.

"I may or may not have taken Hades' pet dog, and the basilisk is guarding the lower reaches," said Tania sheepishly.

"...I don't know whether to call bullshit or to laugh and hope she's joking," admitted Sirius.

Axel shared a mischievous look with Tania. She nodded discreetly.

"Sure you want to find out? We can bring you all to see whether I'm kidding or not."

Aqua took pictures of Sirius shitting himself when he saw the "playful puppy" that was Cerberus, and learning she did in fact have a basilisk guarding the lower reaches of the Castle That Never Was. Narcissa was torn between laughing at his expression, and running away swearing her head off. Andromeda had chosen not to go, having caught the looks they shared.

Needless to say it was an...interesting...reunion between Sirius and his goddaughter.

* * *

The first trial run of the paint prank happened on Valentines day. Every teacher (including Snape to avoid suspicion he was in on it) promptly had a small explosion go off around dinner and turned bright pink, red and white.

The only ones spared were those that came in late (Aqua and Axel) or had been missing from the table as usual (Professor Trelawny of the Divination classes, and Madam Pomphrey who was dealing with a student who contracted Dragon Pox from another student).

Needless to say it took a few seconds for the laughter to start.

And even less time for the students to start speculating about the "relationship" between Professor Ignis, the most popular _male_ teacher and the school, and Professor Wayfinder, who had the female spot. And since they came late to dinner with their clothes slightly ruffled, it was only natural that they bored students would wonder if they were dating.

As payback for them joking about Roxas, Tania decided for her yearly quota of chaos she was going to try and hook Axel and Aqua up as a joke.

Fire and Water. It should prove to be hilarious.

"What is she up to now?" asked Susan.

"She's attempting to subtly set up Professor Wayfinder and Ignis as payback for certain comments they made about her old friend," said Luna.

"...Think she'd like some help?" asked Hannah. She was bored, enough said, and this sounded hilarious.

Professor Ignis was a Fire elemental specialist, and Professor Wayfinder had a sort of "water" feel to her.

"What's this about setting up the professors?" said Hermione.

"Professor Wayfinder and Professor Ignis. We're bored and this sounds like it would be an interesting match. I know for a fact she's been too busy training to consider dating, and the only guy she's ever had contact with her own age was more like a brother than boyfriend material," said Tania impishly.

"I'm in," said Hannah.

"Same," said Susan.

"I'm always up for chaos," said Luna pleased.

"...You're going to do this even if I don't help, aren't you?" said Hermione. The quartet nodded. She sighed. "Fine, but I refuse to do anything involving love potions or spells."

Tania made a face.

"Considering the mess Molly Prewitt started because she forced Arthur Weasley to marry her with love potions, I think we'll save that as a very last 'holy shit nothing is working' resort. So never," said Tania. The others nodded in agreement.

"Are aphrodisiacs out of the question?" asked Luna impishly.

"They just induce lust, not love, so no."

Luna beamed at her. Hermione had a headache.

"I'm not helping with the brewing of those either, and I'll speak to Shadow about not helping with _that_ front," she said tiredly.

Tania suddenly remembered a particularly vivid incident and snickered.

"Remembering Axel's reaction to you and Hermione being on the same monthly schedule?" said Luna. Tania nodded.

"Oh I have to hear this."

"All I can say is we put the fear of the monthly visitor in him. Apparently he had never experienced close up how bad it was, though I remember some of the times Larxene went off on many of them during that time of the month."

"How...how bad?" asked Hermione through her snickering.

"She used to electrocute them if anyone dared to comment on the amount of chocolate she was eating. I think they all breathed a sigh of relief when she was gone," giggled Tania.

"So I heard a rumor that Sirius is trying to find something to make up for all the lost birthdays and Christmases. He was going to get you a Firebolt," said Susan.

"Uh, no. as much fun as it is to fly on a broom, I'd sooner visit Neverland. Then I don't have to worry about falling off," said Tania.

"Agreed."

"Neverland?"

"When's the next Hogsmeade weekend?"

"Tomorrow," said Luna.

"Who's up for a bit of free-flying?" said Tania impishly. There was a keyblade that allowed one to hover...somewhat...but she didn't feel like showing them.

Five minutes of flight without a broom, and they were hooked.


	32. The Capture of Pettigrew

Tania was not in a good mood. She had found a _rat_ on her bed, and she hated them with a passion. Sadly, Naminé recognized it because Ron once brought it to breakfast to give it medicine earlier that year.

Unfortunately for "Scabbers" she also remembered that Black had mentioned a fourth friend by the name of "Wormtail" which could turn into a rat. The same man who supposedly _died_ after cutting off his finger.

She didn't need to put two and two together. Scabbers was unnaturally long-lived for even a magical rat, and he had been in her room more than once.

She stunned him, threw him into a cage which she then charmed as much as she could to prevent escape.

Then she called Professor Sprout into the common room, making sure _everyone_ knew the story. It didn't take long for Susan to call her aunt in.

"What's this I hear about a possible animagus in the girl's dorms?" said Madame Bones.

"This is Ron Weasley's rat. I've caught him in my room multiple times, despite the fact Ron has never once been in our house. There's also the fact I have a ward against other pets in my room as a precaution, and it's made it past it repeatedly. And this is before you take into account Black's mentioning of a fourth friend in his gang that could turn into a rat," said Tania.

Madame Bones raised an eyebrow, before casting the animagus revealing spell. Both eyebrows shot up when it turned out positive. She cast it again, and a third time for verification.

"You said he's been in your room repeatedly?" she asked, her voice like ice from anger.

"And according to the Weasleys, he's a family pet who's been around two of their sons year round. I hate to think of what he might have done around Ginny," said Tania honestly.

"Thank you for reporting it directly, Ms. Potter. I'll be sure to deal with this one _personally_ ," said Madame Bones, accepting the now terrified rat.

"So...lunch anyone?" said Hannah after the awkward silence.

"I am not eating Hogwarts food. I demand pizza," said Tania flatly. She _rarely_ ate the food offered at Hogwarts anymore, and she had Dobby making food runs all the time as a sign of trust.

"Pizza!" cheered Susan and Hannah. Tania had gotten them hooked after the Death Day party, and soon after the first gens found out she had access to what they considered real food.

It was not very common for three of the four houses to host "pizza parties" after Quidditch, or just because.

Tania suddenly had an evil idea.

"What dark scheme are you up to now?" asked Hermione suspiciously.

"Wonder what would happen to the Gryffindor first year intake if the firsties found out that Gryffindor doesn't have pizza or 'normal' food, but the other three do?"

"That...is surprisingly evil and quite likely the most effective way of cutting off the next batch from being sorted there. Add in to the fact that they lions _still_ aren't allowed to overtly change their robes to suit them, and they definitely won't ask to be sorted there," said Hermione deviously.

Gryffindor was officially the _least_ popular house in the entire school, despite the headmaster and McGonagall's best efforts otherwise. They had no idea it was those _same_ efforts and the fact that Tania openly delivered muggle foods to the other houses that caused their star to drop so fast.

Well, muggle food and entertainment. Shadow FINALLY found a way to get technology to work around heavy magic areas, and the second the Slytherins were exposed to video games (particularly the violent ones, which peaked their interest) they were hooked.

Tania didn't force them to embrace muggle culture, just small doses of it. That was something the pure bloods could tolerate with ease.

Besides, once she introduced them to things like _Resident Evil, Left 4 Dead,_ and of course _Final Fantasy_ , the snakes were very quick to drop the 'mudblood' comments and start discussing the fact that Professor Wayfinder and Ignis were teaching them spells that were found in _Final Fantasy_. Some of them were even remembering odd parallels between old family magicks and certain spells.

Hermione was very pleased when her declaration of being a "Red mage" was no longer met with odd stares, but open approval.

Much to the horror of Dumbledore, the students were starting to turn away from the 'modern' paths such as Aurors, Ministry workers, healers and curse breakers, and back to the old ways of Black mages, White Mages, Creature tamers, and of course summoners.

In response to this, Axel cheerfully went to Merlin and started teaching the same jobs they were so familiar with. They couldn't teach Blue magic without the special sabers, but the rest was easy and only required minimal adjustments to the DADA lessons. Though as the only practicing Summoner of the school, Luna had to okay anyone trying to learn her mother's art.

* * *

Tania eyed the Headmaster, who was looking increasingly frayed. Fawkes had still not returned, and his open disdain for the old ways being brought back was starting to wear on the traditional pure bloods.

The sad fact was that the pure bloods were more than happy to let their children learn the old and forgotten magics, especially since it meant a revival of the "old traditions" that the Progressives so openly mocked.

Looking back now, it became very obvious that some of the stranger traditions were that way for a reason. Such as the finding of several old "swords" that allowed one to learn the magic of creatures, or old artifacts that summoned great beasts to fight.

Tania even saw an article in the _Daily Prophet_ commenting on it.

"He looks like he's about to have a coronary," commented Tania to Luna.

"He doesn't like the old ways. They were too effective against his kind, and he deliberately made it so that they were forgotten or ignored," said Luna annoyed.

"...Think we should make it worse?" said Tania vindictively.

"Absolutely."

One week later, there was a front-page article displaying Aqua and Xion having one of their spars with the most basic of mock-keyblades.

Under it was a notation of _"The Revival of the Old Magicks: Hogwarts to bring back the Old Ways?_ "

Naturally this garnered a lot of attention from the pure bloods, especially the traditionalist on the school governors. Professor Aqua and Ignis were noted to have brought back several of the older, but still highly effective spells. More importantly (something the paper seemed to emphasize repeatedly) was the fact that Tania followed more of the old way than the ones put into place since Dumbledore gained so many positions. It also felt the need to comment about how Dumbledore was more inclined to 'weaken the magical heritage' by cutting out several classes that until then had been deemed mandatory by every headmaster previous.

Including, as it turned out, classes on how muggleborns were _supposed_ to behave around the older pure bloods to avoid being ostracized for being rude. Magical Customs was one of the required classes for all first years who didn't come from magical backgrounds or were raised by primarily muggle guardians. People like Tania or Hermione, for instance.

As if that wasn't bad enough, Dumbledore was now being pressured rather heavily by both the governors and the Ministry to allow some of the old classes back.

Odds were that they would have a bigger selection to chose from next year at this rate.

* * *

"Let me get this straight. You want _us_ to visit Diagon completely on 'coincidence' at the same time the old cat introduces the new crop of first year muggleborns to the magical society for supplies," said Draco incredulous.

"Only those from Neutral families who agree with me. Which means you don't have to on the grounds you might accidentally insult them," said Tania.

"...Why?" said Pansy.

"Let me put it this way. The second the first gens find out how backward the school is to them, they'll jump at the chance to be around familiar things like video games and muggle shows."

Oh yes, the students had all gotten hooked on "binge watching" thanks to Tania, and now homework was always done before curfew unless they wanted to be kept out of the latest weekend marathon for the week. Once again, Gryffindor was the only one left out of the fun, though some of the younger years had taken to staying in the dorms of their friends to join in.

"Again, why?"

"Can you think of anything that would annoy Dumbledore and McGonagall more than losing any new first years to corrupt? Once they realize how strict she is and how little creativity is encouraged in Gryffindor, they'll _jump_ at the chance to be sorted elsewhere solely so they don't get stuck in a stagnant house," said Naminé.

"Think about this scene for a moment, if you will. McGonagall with the sorting hat, watching as every new firstie goes into one of the other three houses. Realizing with horror that the new students are deliberately avoiding her house. Finding out that we convinced them to be sorted into our House rather than go to hers. Repeating it every year until the the current lot of Gryffindor graduate and they realize that they no longer _have_ any Gryffindor students," said Tania.

"...You had me at pissing off McGonagall by removing the first years," said Draco.

"It only needs to last until Dumbledore is dealt with. He's the main target," said Tania.

"Gathering more for the minion army Tania?" asked Susan.

"The more we train them, the better off they'll be when the paths are opened for them to leave. This world is too small to be quibbling over who has the most magical blood in them," said Tania, rolling her eyes.

"Paths? What paths?"

"Look in your libraries. You'll find multiple references to 'paths', often in conjunction with warriors that wield strange and magnificent blades. I bet you'd even find references to Slytherin 'walking the path of the guardian' if you looked in the right places. I could give you the exact section where I found them."

"So...how are we going to promote our houses?"

"By telling the students what we get up to on the weekends, and then having McGonagall sniff at us disapprovingly. Once we finally find a way to get the internet working...well, there's no way they'll join Gryffindor."

"What's the internet?"

"A place to share information, videos not appropriate for children under sixth year, and cats," said Tania bluntly.

Hermione opened her mouth to disagree, before she thought that statement over.

"I hate to say this, but she has a point. Most people generally go to the internet for porn, funny cat videos, or to share information," she conceded.

"Mostly porn," said Luna cheerfully.

"What's porn?" asked Hannah.

"What the seventh and sixth years get up to in abandoned classrooms that don't involve making out in closets, usually without all their clothes on," summed up Tania helpfully.

"Oh, you mean those 'special' pensieve memories you can buy only in certain stores after you graduate," said Susan.

"Didn't we pick the lock on your aunt's stash last year?" asked Hannah.

"And we were told not to get busted too often once we decided to try some of it out," said Susan nodding.

Mostly because her aunt knew the only one Susan would be 'experimenting' with over the summer was Hannah, or possibly the "Potters" if they could get a hold of them.

Luna and Naminé were considered part of the Potter family by default now, even if Naminé was never formally adopted.

The worst that could happen with five very bored girls with access to the special pensieve memories was that they got _creative_ and she walked in on them.

"Well now I know what we're doing for the summer. Comparing notes," said Tania with a straight face.

"Keep me out of it," said Hermione firmly. She could look the other way, but she absolutely didn't want to become part of it. She was quite firmly straight.

"I wonder how _he_ would react if he knew that his best friend was happy to share with her friends," said Luna.

"He's _mine_ first, dammit. And that's not saying I'll be sharing at all. For all we know, these two would run off with Neville and Naminé with Sora or Riku."

" _I_ call dibs on Riku," said Hermione possessively. One might call her a stalker, considering upon learning Riku was in fact real, she had obsessively learned everything about him. However she was planning to at least get to know him first before officially calling him her boyfriend.

Also, her sister had been most put out about the news, as Hermione had given her a rather spectacular black eye the one time she had even SUGGESTED going after Riku herself. And this was before Hermione started showing she now had the ability to throw fireballs at her.

As a result, her sister was now firmly demanding that she at least be introduced to Yuffie, if only to learn ninja skills since she couldn't use _any_ magic like her sister.

"Yes, yes. Let's hope by the time that you meet, you're within an acceptable age range," said Tania.

"What's your aunt's opinion on the matter?"

"I can't do anything with _boys_ (Tania emphasized that particular distinction) in private with less than two pieces of clothing on until I'm sixteen. She acknowledged most of my best friends are girls, and that we're likely going to experiment once the hormones kick in, but I have to stay 'untouched' and that's the exact word she used, until at least sixteen. Preferably after marriage," said Tania.

"So your aunt recognizes that boredom and girl talk will almost inevitably lead to experimenting after she found out you already share a bed with Naminé, and decided that getting you to agree to at least staying a virgin until you hit sixteen was the best she was going to get," Hermione summarized.

"To be fair, he's rather shy and it'll probably take a while to work him into that point. There's really no reason to rush when as a girl I have perfectly acceptable alternatives that won't exactly show up in a hurry," said Tania shrugging.

"I really, really like your aunt's way of thinking," said Hannah grinning. Then again she was an open pervert once puberty hit and boys (and some girls) started to look interesting, and Susan mostly went along for the ride.

"So do we get a picture of what this mystery boy looks like, or are you going to keep us hanging?" asked Susan eagerly.

Tania smirked, before looking into her trunk and pulling out a picture she had taken of him while stuck in the past. She had taken a _lot_ of them while in the fake Twilight Town, mostly so she didn't forget what he looked like.

"Damn. He's _hot_ ," said Hannah in appreciation.

"Again, he's _mine_ ," said Tania possessively.

"Like we'd challenge a Black for a boy when we have an alternative available," said Susan, eyeing Neville who was oblivious to their looks.


	33. Saving Roxas and beating Xemnas

Aqua cornered the girls after narrowly dodging what looked like some sort of dart. Luna wasn't quite quick enough to hide the blowgun.

"Alright you lot, what exactly are you up to and why have Axel and I been finding a lot of doors mysteriously locking when it's the two of us in a small space?" said Aqua.

It didn't take much to get Hermione to cave. As relaxed as she had become realizing she had actual friends, she was still a girl who followed authority figures.

"It was Tania's idea!"

"I know that much, but what is she up to this time?"

"Setting you and Professor Ignis up as a couple," said Hannah in defeat. They were already busted...no reason to dig the hole deeper by lying.

Aqua pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Why?" she asked.

"Boredom, mostly," said Tania.

"That and you two would make a cute couple," added Naminé.

"And the dart?"

"Last resort. It's a bunch of aphrodisiacs mixed together. My mother had a few recipes she left me," admitted Luna unashamed.

"Tania, you of all people should know those in our profession don't exactly date. We're too busy."

"King Mickey and Queen Minnie," said Tania bluntly.

Aqua blinked, before conceding her point.

"And I really don't see the problem, so long as the partner either doesn't interfere with your job or is willing to hold the fort like Queen Minnie does for the King."

"Or happens to be one himself," she added dryly. Tania grinned. Aqua sighed. "If I go out on _one_ date with him, will you agree to drop the subject?"

"Yes," came the unanimous reply of the girls.

"Fine. I'll ask him before the next weekend, but I'm taking him _offworld_ to keep you lot from following me."

"Fair enough."

* * *

Tania was there when she asked him out on a date...before explaining why. Axel looked torn between blushing and shooting Tania a dirty look.

On the plus side, they were able to go off Lost Avalon long enough to have their date, which meant there wouldn't be rumors about them to circulate among the students.

As much as Aqua and Axel hated to admit it, they did have more in common than they realized.

They both liked kids (though Axel had a now well founded fear of teenage girls during that time of the month), they were both well versed with magic, they both were used to fighting legions of heartless, and both of them were regulars at world hopping.

The fact Aqua _knew_ who his Somebody was, and had worked with him before made it a little less awkward.

And they actually _had_ a good time, as Axel was a bit of a battle nut and Aqua had been going stir crazy to begin with, when Pete thought it was hilarious to crash their slightly awkward and somewhat forced first date.

The people around them, namely Leon, Yuffie, Aerith and Petunia, all clapped in approval when Aqua beat Pete within an inch of his life before he escaped, then froze him and so Axel could send him flying through the Corridor of Darkness with one of his fire attacks, which melted through said ice to give the odd cat-creature a very decently-sized burn on his ass.

Needless to say they instilled an instinctive fear of interrupting a keyblade Master and a willing and able cohort on their date for the foreseeable future.

That still didn't mean Aqua was going to relent and share details of the date beyond what they did to Pete for interrupting it.

She refused to admit that the girls had a point that she needed a love life outside of traveling partners on a quest to kill heartless. And Tania was already rewriting a bunch of rules around a school that had stagnated, so it wasn't that far a stretch to believe she was going to use Aqua and Axel as a perfect example of a working romantic relationship once Yen Sid found out to keep him from commenting on her dating Roxas.

It was blatantly obvious why she was doing it, and she would likely admit it if asked.

* * *

Tania looked particularly pleased with herself. The end of the year had come and gone, and Dumbledore looked rather pissed when he found whatever trace evidence that Fawkes had come after her and been taken out...and that he was losing even _more_ leverage against her, because she had relocated Petunia and her cousins.

In fact the only time she was going to spend was during the World Cup near the end of summer, and a week with Susan and Hannah. Possibly with both of them.

But the biggest thing she was looking forward to had nothing to do with Lost Avalon, or her current war against Dumbledore.

She was going to bring Roxas back. And this time, she didn't have to worry about dying to save him. While she had no regrets about her first death, it did irritate her that she was used like a puppet to kill Roxas.

Stupid Xemnas and Vexen.

"So we'll see you at the World Cup, right?" said Susan.

"Yup. But not before we clear out the Black ancestral home and relocate someplace a little more secure."

And deal with the portrait of Sirius' mother, she neglected to add. Odds were Walburga would shut up pretty damn fast once Tania brought out Mirage Split.

"Have fun Tanny, and don't forget you said you'd introduce us to this intra net thing!" said Hannah.

"It's _internet_ , not intra net!" said Tania amused.

"Whatever," said Hannah laughing.

"Are you sure you're prepared for this?" asked Merlin.

"As sure as I can possibly be. I think the difficult part is going to be interrupting their fight long enough to fix the issue without losing either of them."

"Be careful. I don't want to lose my first apprentice just because you got careless," said Aqua.

"I just hope I can pull this off," said Tania nervously.

"We can begin," said Merlin. Before him was a rather intricate magical circle, one meant to land someone with pinpoint precision rather than a general idea, in a certain timeline.

He preferred the general landings, but he knew how to do a specific drop if required.

And for what Xion was about to do, she needed a pin point drop to avoid complications. Once she was done, she could use a general drop with the _past_ Merlin, seeing as how she had yet to get the hang of doing it solo, much less with a passenger.

And considering Yen Sid's suspicions about Roxas, it was entirely likely she'd be dragging _two_ passengers, not one. He looked entirely too much like Master Eraqus' third and youngest apprentice Ventus to be a complete coincidence.

Xion took a deep breath, made sure she had her supplies (courtesy of an enthusiastic Shadow) and walked into the circle.

* * *

There was falling, there was the familiar sensation of water where there was none, and there was an intricate stained glass platform where two figures had just started fighting.

She could blame being around Hannah for what she did next upon landing.

She used her keyblade to slap both of them hard enough on the head to make them at least notice her, eyebrow twitching.

"That is enough out of the both of you! Grow up already!"

Sora looked like a hopelessly confused puppy, and Roxas hadn't bothered to remove his hood.

"Aren't you that girl who nearly broke my nose in Beast's castle?" said Sora suspiciously.

Figures he would remember that.

"How are you even in here?" asked Roxas, though by the tone alone he _vaguely_ recognized her.

Xion twitched.

"Right, I'm not going to explain how this should be even _more_ awkward when I could just do the same thing I did to Axel."

She leveled her keyblade at roughly chest height, before a beam of light hit Roxas where his heart was and turned. There was the distinct sound of something unlocking, and the memories hit him all at once.

Once the flashes of memory finished hitting him like a brick, one gloved hand reached up and yanked down the hood in a hurry as he stared at her incredulous.

"Xion?"

"Hey Roxas."

"But...how? I saw you die!"

"That's weird. She's been throwing spells pretty good for a dead girl," commented Sora, remembering how close she had come to hitting him with her lightning or setting him on fire.

"I was given a second chance, then I was given the ability to share that gift with other Nobodies. I've already saved Axel and Naminé, and I've come to save you from disappearing into Sora. Well that and there's a reasonable suspicions you've always held the heart of a _different_ keyblade master candidate," said Xion.

"I... have a heart?" said Roxas, looking very lost.

"That's the only explanation for why you look so much like Ventus, and not like Sora," confirmed Xion. "I can give Sora back the pieces you contain without you having to disappear, but you have to trust me."

"What do we have to do?" asked Roxas, sharing a look with Sora.

When it came down to it, he didn't want to disappear into Sora. Not that he had anything against the guy.

Xion held out her ungloved hands to both Sora and Roxas. It took them a minute to cotton on.

Roxas took her right hand, and Sora took her left. The moment they made contact with her, the station below them shattered. It was only her grip on their hands that kept them from being separated. Suddenly the shards of glass reassembled under them...only the scenery had changed.

It was Xion's station of awakening, not Sora's.

Xion felt all the memories of Sora she had ever contained return to their rightful owner. The pieces of Sora that Roxas held passed through her and into Sora as well...but the heart of Ventus kept him from being taken back.

However with the removal of the parts that belonged to Sora's power, a new one had to take their place to keep Roxas stable. So the next best substitute was used.

Ventus' sleeping body, which disappeared in fragments of light and were used to build Roxas' new one. The coat remained, but the clothes under it disappeared. Even the armor piece reformed under the coat.

When all was said and done, both boys blinked.

"Whoa."

"That was...weird," said Sora.

Suddenly Xion felt weak-kneed. She hadn't felt this tired when she saved Axel or Naminé. So why now?

"Xion!" yelped Roxas.

"I'll be fine. Just really tired. I'm not about to disappear after all!" said Xion cheerfully. She was so exhausted she couldn't keep her usual transformation up, and her eyes went back to green, while her black hair gained red tints at the bottom.

"Sora!" yelled Goofy.

"IT'S YOU!" shouted Donald, recognizing Xion pretty quick.

"Oh be quiet duck. I just helped Sora out, so leave me alone," said Xion crossly.

"Who's this Sora?" asked Goofy, noticing Roxas who was helping Xion stay upright.

"I'm Roxas... I'm Sora's Nobody," said Roxas.

"You _were_ his Nobody," said Xion. "Considering the amount of energy I just put into restoring you, it would be more accurate to call you the reincarnation of Ventus."

Seeing the Dusks gather around, Roxas tensed. Xion rolled her eyes. She reached into her bag, grabbed an Elixir and downed it.

"Right. I'm in no mood to deal with you lot. So bugger off before I become cross with the lot of you!" said Xion with an authoritative voice.

The Dusks and other lesser Nobodies paused, looking at her. She began tapping her foot in an irritated manner. They looked at each other, before the Dusks disappeared.

Every male there stared at her.

"They know better than to cross the _one_ person who can give them back their hearts. That and I've pretty much put the fear of that time of the month into them last time I was here," said Xion. She suddenly grinned at Sora. "It's going to be hilarious watching your reaction to Kairi when the monthly visitor hits her later."

"Monthly visitor?" said Sora, confused. Donald was the first to catch on, because he winced.

"I do not envy you at all Sora," said Donald honestly. Xion cackled.

"So, are we going to free Riku of his self-imposed stupidity and save Kairi or not? Because I just know Roxas won't let you go to the castle alone when he could help," said Xion.

"Hey!"

"Self-imposed stupidity?" repeated Sora.

"Riku's physical form changed to someone you'd recognize, but don't really like. And he's afraid to tell you what happened because you're more likely to attack him without knowing the difference," explained Xion helpfully.

Roxas stared at her like she had grown a second head.

"You're different," he said.

"You try living with a fledgling heart for almost fourteen years and spend three of them interacting with others your own age and see if you don't learn a few new things. Just wait until we head to Lost Avalon and I get my hands to a piano," chirped Xion, walking backwards. Then she grinned "Or better yet, see what I did to Hades' pet dog. He still hasn't stop cursing my name when he found out what happened to it."

Roxas felt his lips quirk upward.

"What did you do to Cerberus?" asked Sora.

"I turned it into my pet dog. He likes me more than Hades because I let him run around the World That Never Was and feed him more than escaped souls. That and I show him actual love and affection. If he could, he'd sit on my lap without hesitation and he often lets me ride him while he goes running around here," said Xion cheerfully. "He nearly crushed Phil when I told him to roll over."

Roxas snickered. The idea of Cerberus rolling over and nearly crushing the satyr was pretty funny.

"And that's before I send the blitz ball flying for him to chase. He's not allowed in the castle anymore because Demyx did something to annoy him and he's been wanting to slobber all over him in revenge," said Xion giggling. Roxas grinned at the very image she presented.

 _A few minutes and one explanation later to King Mickey..._

"How are we supposed to get up there?" said Goofy.

Xion put two fingers to her mouth and whistled sharply enough for them to hold their ears.

A few seconds later there was the sound of a piercing cry as something _massive_ and winged came flying. It wasn't the normal flying heartless, but there was this undeniably majestic quality about it.

"What is _that_?" asked Mickey nervously. And for good reason too. A Nobody that big would obviously be a massive pain to deal with.

"He's the Nobody of a phoenix who fell to Darkness. I call him Tori," said Xion. The massive bird cooed at Xion, much to the shock of everyone save Roxas. "Tori, could you take us up to the castle? They need a lift."

It let off a trill, before maneuvering so that they could walk onto his back.

"I've never seen a Nobody this size, much less one that hasn't attacked us yet," said Mickey.

"It'll become clear why in a few years, at least your time. For the sake of not telling you too much, where once there were seven, there now are eight. Even though the Eighth is considered something of an anomaly."

"...Time Travel?" said Mickey.

"Merlin did a pinpoint drop, mostly because he knew I wouldn't let saving one of my best friends go. Besides, Yen Sid will agree that it was necessary as well. Xenahort has more allies than you are aware of, even if I'm trying to remove the power base one of them has."

Mickey nodded.

"Oh, and my Master is Aqua. She's agreed to sponsor me for the Mark once I'm older," said Xion.

That was enough for Mickey to trust her, despite being able to control Nobodies.

"Told you," said Xion smugly.

"You. You died," said Riku accusingly.

"We've already gone through this. Coincidentally I'll be having a _lot_ of fun at your expense once your fan girl finally has a chance to meet you properly later," said Xion, smiling evilly.

Sora's head whipped around to Xion, his face full of amusement and mischief.

"Riku has a fan girl?"

"He has multiple fan girls, but only one has a friend who can world hop to the point she can meet him. She once gave her sister a black eye because she teased her about her crush on him," said Xion smugly.

Riku couldn't help the blush, Xion's grin widened.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have a sincere and pressing desire to punch Xemnas in the face because he was part of the reason I died the first time," said Xion, spotting him.

"Don't let us hold you back," said Riku, moving out of her way.

Xion's expression was somewhat terrifying...for every male there.

"It's time for some karma, you jerk!"

The sight of her beating the living daylights out of Organization XIII's leader would haunt them for years. And this was without a keyblade or magic, and despite the fact he had several inches and years on her.

To be fair, it was that time of the month for her and violence always seemed to make her feel better.


	34. Black Home

Roxas blinked rapidly to handle the sudden influx of light. He was in a familiar room, and it took him a few minutes to realize someone was there.

"Axel?"

"Yo. The Princess is still sleeping, but she'll be up for lunch knowing her. Word of advice, touch the stash of sea salt ice cream at your own risk. Last time Demyx tried to sneak one out he got blasted," said Axel.

Roxas managed to sit up.

"Princess?"

"Xion. Taking people from the past after giving back a heart really wears her out, but at least this time she didn't dip into her HP when she brought someone back with her."

Roxas, once he had fully woken up, hugged Axel.

"I'm glad we're friends again," he said honestly.

"Actually we're going to claim you're half brothers," said Naminé. "It keeps people from making the wrong assumption about why you're so close."

"Naminé?" said Roxas.

"Hey, Roxas. If you're awake you can get something to eat in the kitchen. Ever since Xion took over the castle after Maleficent left, she's kept the fridge fully stocked. She left a pensieve so she could focus on eating while you catch up on all that's happened so far," said Naminé.

"That and you're going to have to play catch-up to avoid people asking awkward questions. Oh, and Shadow said he's making breakfast last I checked."

"Shadow?"

"The moogle who left with you," said Naminé.

Roxas perked up at that.

" _Good morning, kupo!"_ said Shadow, where he was dressed in a chef's hat and apron. Roxas hid a snicker, but the moogle scowled at him anyway.

"Waffles!" said Luna cheerfully.

" _Pancakes are superior, kupo!"_ said Shadow.

"Waffles!"

" _Pancakes, kupo!"_

"Waffles!" said Luna challengingly.

" _Pancakes!"_

"You're both wrong. Funnel cakes reign supreme," said Xion, yawning.

"Morning big sister," said Luna.

" _Morning Xion, kupo."_

"Besides, if I let you keep that up it would obviously end in a duck versus rabbit debate, which means someone would be cleaning kitchen of the batter mess," said Xion.

"You're no fun," said Luna.

" _Besides, who said it would just be batter, kupo?"_ said Shadow, playing along.

Xion mock thought about that.

"You're right. Obviously you'd include water, flour, syrup and powdered sugar just because," she concluded.

Roxas snickered.

"Morning Roxas," said Xion cheerfully.

"Where are we anyway? It feels too lively to be the Castle That Never Was."

"Actually the proper context is _when_ are we, not where. Besides, you obviously haven't looked outside yet...or heard the barking," said Luna.

Now that she mentioned it...

"Xion, your pet dog is bored again! He's chasing the Dusks and whining!" said Demyx. He took one look at Roxas, before he grinned and hugged the midget. "You're back!"

"He just woke up Demyx," said Xion amused.

"So which of the Organization is left?"

"Vexen left a bunch of Replicas behind, and he's traveling with another. We figured it was best to leave them be, since Xion has some unpleasant history with Vexen. The only ones that live here are us," said Axel, he did feel the need to add "Only Demyx lives here full time though. Xion mostly comes here to do laundry."

"Where do you all live the rest of the year then?" asked Roxas, tilting his head.

Xion pointed a hand at the odd bowl in the common area where Xemnas used to hand out missions for the day.

"Put a finger or hand into that bowl. Don't worry about the silvery stuff, it's harmless, but it'll answer most of the questions you're likely to have and provide an explanation for why you're going to be known as Axel's half brother," said Xion.

"But not before breakfast, because it's likely to take a while," added Luna.

It took roughly two days for Roxas to get through most of the memories...and hadn't that been a surprise, living through Xion's memories?

Which only left very few questions.

"How are you alive?" he asked.

"I followed a light, and found myself near an infant. She died along with her parents, but I was given the option of taking her place so that they could move on to Kingdom Hearts. As you can see, I took it without hesitation. Now we're working to take a big chunk of power away from one of Xehanort's few allies," said Xion.

Roxas could accept that. Something inside of him snarled at the name "Xehanort", as if there was some very bad emotions attached to it. Understandable, considering he was Ventus reborn into a new body.

"Who was that blue haired woman?"

"Aqua is an old friend/older sister of Ventus. She was lost in darkness much like Riku was, until I found her. Ventus was put into a coma and we still don't know where Terra is. And considering Xehanort isn't dead yet, we need all the keyblade wielders we're going to get," said Xion.

"Which is why Yen Sid agreed to allow you and Roxas to take the Mark of Mastery exam in a few years," said Aqua.

Roxas had no idea, but he felt like trusting Aqua on sight. She felt...familiar to him.

Aqua looked at Roxas, and her face softened.

"He looks almost exactly like him."

"Well we did confirm Roxas inherited most of Ventus' Self," said Xion.

The body had "mysteriously vanished" a number of years ago, roughly around the time Roxas was made whole. The rest seemed to go into Sora, for some reason.

"So odds are he'll slowly wake up dormant memories of Ventus. That will be interesting," said Aqua.

Hearing the barking below, Roxas grinned. He still found it hilarious to watch Cerberus turn into a veritable puppy around Xion.

"So how are we going to play the whole 'coming to Hogwarts' plan?" asked Roxas. It seemed interesting enough.

"We're going to claim you got interested in Axel's talk of the school and opted to become a transfer out of home school. If we change your eyes to the same shade of green, no one will question you being half brothers," said Naminé.

"Then once they've accepted the cover story, you can change them back to blue, claiming you like the color better," said Aqua.

"We can catch you up to at least third year, which _should_ smooth things over. I know for a fact Susan and Hannah are particularly eager to meet you, as is Neville since I don't really have any guy friends and he's been stuck with a bunch of girls for three years," grinned Xion.

"The guy is drowning in estrogen. Of course he'll latch onto Roxas," laughed Axel. He yelped at the light Thunder Xion shot at him.

Roxas stared at her.

"You spend most of your weekends with Narcissa and Andromeda Black and see if you don't acquire a hair trigger!" she said defensively.

"Didn't Sirius say he wants to meet Roxas as well?" said Aqua. Xion made a face.

"Don't remind me. He's determined to take the 'father' role in my life, despite the fact I'm more likely to listen to Axel first," said Xion.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure he doesn't interrogate Roxas too badly while we're emptying that house out," said Axel.

"You better. The man is an idiot and a not-so-reformed bully. Even Dudley was never callous enough to try feeding someone he didn't like to a werewolf and not be ashamed of himself for it! And the less said _of_ that werewolf the better!" said Xion vehemently. She _hated_ bullies!

Axel put a hand on Roxas' shoulder.

"You get used to it soon enough, once you've gotten the hang of having an actual heart. Took me about a month to get the hang of it, and Naminé took about a week or two," said Axel commiserating.

Then again he had been thrown headfirst into a teaching position. He wasn't going to stay on as the DADA teacher, as the pure bloods had stirred the pot enough that they demanded a teacher for the "old magicks"...and wouldn't you know it, Axel had a firm grasp on most of the basics enough that they didn't need to look for someone new.

It was going to be an elective for the children. One they could take at first year, if they wanted.

Since Roxas knew most of it, he was going to be "acting teacher's assistant" since it would prevent any accusations of bias when it came time for homework.

"Now, are we going to go and get this over with or what?" said Luna.

"Ugh, don't remind me. At least I can go and pick up some real food instead of relying on _Kreacher_ to make it."

"Junk food addict," said Luna playfully.

"And proud of it! And yet it's _still_ healthier than what the house elves make at school!"

* * *

"It's filthy," said Tania flatly.

"Kreacher was never one for cleaning," said Sirius helplessly.

"There is a time when it's simply dirty, to when it would be easier to simply set the place on fire. Standards must be kept after all," drawled Narcissa.

Andromeda sniffed in disdain, while Tonks' hair flashed several different colors in dismay.

Draco had managed to get out of coming by din of sticking close to his father. Lucky bastard.

"Fortunately we're not here to make the place livable, but to simply clear it out and relocate to a more appropriate location for a member of the Black family. This place is simply too small," said Tania firmly.

At least that was how she phrased it to get Narcissa and Andromeda on board with the idea. One look at "her" castle and they were convinced that relocating was a _splendid_ idea.

Narcissa had gained an ironclad agreement that if and when Voldemort returned, her family would be moved before Lucius was dragged back into service. It wasn't like Tania didn't have the room in the castle, and one of the many unused areas in the castle would be perfect for a massive magical library.

Kreacher took one look at Narcissa, before he sneered at Tonks and Tania. Tania narrowed her eyes at him.

"And why have you let the house go to pot? As an elf of the Ancient and Noble House of Black, standards are to be kept!" she said firmly.

"Nasty half-breed does not order Kreacher, and the blood traitor isn't welcome," he sneered at her.

She growled at him. Narcissa was close to joining her.

"That is enough Kreacher. Titania is the rightful heir of the Black family, and if you're not respectful then I will give you clothes rather than keep you on," said Narcissa.

"As you wish, Mistress Malfoy," said Kreacher. It was abundantly clear he would only respect Narcissa, for the moment.

As they went in further, Tania took one look at the house elf head collection and said "Tacky. _Very_ tacky. There is such a thing as going too far into the realm of bad taste," she drawled.

The moment she said that, the portrait of Walburga Black suddenly sprang open, surprising them all. She really looked pissed at seeing her son back in the house.

Less than ten seconds of her screaming at him, and Tania had enough.

" _Fire!"_ she shouted, drawing Mirage Split and deliberately missing the portrait.

Walburga shut up, and looked very closely at the Keyblade in Tania's hand.

" _You, girl. Where did you get that blade?"_

Tania looked her in the eye.

"I found it in Salazar's Chamber, and the entire Slytherin house has acknowledge my claim to it. I've also stolen the title of Slytherin from under Dumbledore's nose, so he is unable to access the vaults ever again. I control the Neutrals currently at Hogwarts as well," she said flatly.

Walburga was silent.

" _What's your name?"_

"Titania Ivy Potter. Daughter of James Potter and his wife Lily Evans. Heir to the Slytherin, Potter and Black titles," she said formally.

" _You're the heir my idiotic son chose to carry on the name?"_ she asked.

"I am."

Walburga looked at her stunned son.

" _I approve. You actually chose right for once."_

"At least Tania isn't a Gryffindor, but she has made things increasingly difficult for them. It's now the most hated house in the entire school, and they plan to remove any first years from being added for the next year," quipped Narcissa.

" _Details, leave nothing out!"_ said a gleeful Walburga.

"Why don't you all get started while I have a long chat with her," said Narcissa.

"You're welcome to the portrait," said Sirius flatly. He eyed the ones on the wall. "And most of the ones in the house, except for Phineas. That one Tania should keep."

"Dare I ask why?"

"He was a former headmaster, and they keep all the portraits of the headmasters over the years in the office. That and he has one in St. Mungo's," explained Sirius.

"Thus giving me a spy that can't be coerced and is nearly impossible to hide things from since most people ignore them anyway," concluded Tania.

" _Hmph. Well at least you still have_ some _Black pride, you stupid mutt,"_ said Phineas.

"Now now... you really don't want me finding a way to add my pet dog in the portrait scape to chase you around...do you?" said Tania with an evil smile.

" _...Pet dog?"_

"She has Hades' pet Cerberus. Damn if I know how she pulled that off," said Sirius. Phineas flinched. Normal Cerberus was bad enough... having the actual one was a hundred times worse!

* * *

It would take them the better part of a week, and a lot of fast talking, before they completely cleared out the Black family home. Apparently this wasn't the first time they had had to relocate. About the only difference was that they were moving 'up' rather than 'down'.

Kreacher continued to be snide, and Narcissa's patience was quickly waning. Years of good service or not, it was debatable whether he would remain part of the Black family. Having only Walburga's portrait to talk to hadn't done the elf any favors.

In the words of Narcissa, Dobby at his _worst_ was still miles away from how bad Kreacher was acting.

And Dobby had shaped up now that he was away from Lucius. He was now an example for all house elves.

The only snag came from when Nymphadora found a strange necklace that set off Kreacher.

Apparently the death of Regulus wasn't as cut and dried and everyone believed. Tania and the others were appalled that Voldemort was so desperate to survive he made soul pieces.

They handed it over to the goblins to be cleansed, for a rather hefty fee. Further inspection under proper lighting revealed it was the lost locket of Slytherin.

Tania thought it tacky, but she had been convinced to wear it anyway. It was now the most powerful shield charm they could create using a combination of all sorts of magics. Considering she was determined to take down Dumbledore, she'd need all the protection she could get. It also detected potions, but she still only trusted Dobby to bring her food.

* * *

Axel was openly snickering at Roxas' situation.

He was swarmed by girls, most of whom were practically interrogating him and making comments on how cute he was to his face. It was almost too much for the poor Nobody to take.

Finally Tania took pity on her soon-to-be boyfriend, if she had any say about it. They had already reconnected above Twilight Town in their favorite spot, with Aqua sitting next to Axel the second time. Much to the shock of Axel and Demyx, the two times Roxas took from Tania's secret stash without realizing it, she didn't blast him. To be fair, she had only started to develop _that_ habit after spending what they considered far too much time with her cousin.

"That's enough girls. You'll have plenty of time to ogle him at the school," said Tania.

"You promise?" said Hannah teasingly. Roxas' face was solid red... he had unfortunately caught _most_ of her innuendo.

"You are evil," said Roxas to Tania.

"Look at the bright side. You'll never have to worry about balking in front of Heartless or Darkness knowing there are far worse things like dealing with a bored Hannah after a week of internet binge-watching," said Tania snickering.

Hannah had zoomed in on the porn sites, much to the dismay of Tania. Susan was more interested in the funny videos, like the one of the man who dressed up his dog like a spider and then sent it after unsuspecting victims, or the cat that like to rob neighboring yard and return with his prize.

Roxas shot a stink eye at Hannah.

"You have a point," he admitted. He'd sooner fight Xemnas a second time without any clothes on than go near Hannah in full girl talk mode. It had taken him a minute to realize she was referring to HIM when she was talking to Tania about things he really wasn't ready for!

"You suck," said Roxas to Axel.

"Sink or swim. Be glad we didn't do that back in the old days," said Axel grinning. Roxas winced at the very idea.


	35. The World Cup

Tania was grinning as she cheerfully dragged Roxas through the crowds. As promised, Sirius procured plenty of tickets to the World Cup.

Narcissa forced him to get top box seats, stating she would prefer not to suffer through the game without someone tolerable to talk to.

That didn't mean they were stuck with the 'stuck up snobs' as Sirius so eloquently put it.

At this point Roxas was just thrilled he was in a separate tent, away from...shudder... _girl talk_. He had developed a very real and rational fear of girl talk at this point.

Makes one wonder what his boggart would turn into...

"So why are you dragging me around again?"

"One, because I don't want you getting lost. Two, because this way we can have a bit of fun while we do some shopping for things we'll only forget about later. And three, because it gets you far, far away from...(snicker)...Hannah."

Roxas shuddered at the name.

"Tell you what, after the game I'll spar with you in the forest area."

"Deal," said Roxas, relaxing now. Bouncing off the trees and sparring with the wooden swords Aqua had given him did sound like a lot of fun.

"Oi! Potter! Over here!" shouted one of her Slytherin friends. It was Daphne Greengrass.

"Hey Daphne. Meet my _friend_ Sky Windheart. He's Professor Ignis' brother and he'll be joining us next year."

"Really? Is this the same friend you'd swore up and down that you'd hire investigators to find again?" said Daphne, lips quirking upward.

"Yup," said Tania, popping the last letter.

Daphne held out her hand.

"Daphne Greengrass. One of two 'female liaisons' for the Slytherin house. Blaise runs the boy's side."

Tania grinned.

"Sky is utterly terrified of girl talk thanks to Hannah. I've never seen him face get so red," said Tania. Daphne smirked.

"Oh good, a boy that's properly trained. So we still on to rob the Gryffs of their next crop of firsties?"

"Absolutely. After the World Cup we're going to be promoting all the houses with real facts."

Daphne grinned evilly.

"That's going to be fun!"

* * *

 _A few tents later..._

"Okay, so we've seen Tracy Davies and her brother Roger, Blaize Zabini and his mother, Mandy Brockelhurst, Cedric Diggory and his father Amos, and of course the Malfoys and the Tonks," listed Roxas. "Did I get everyone?"

"Everyone I generally bother to associate with. You'll meet Neville later, and avoid a red head our age named Ronald. He apparently started sniffing around Hades in hopes of 'getting me back', so I was forced to remove him from Olympus Coliseum a month early," said Tania.

"...Do I want to know?"

"He's lazy, bigoted, and has the table manners of a pig. He also seems to be of the belief I'm behind all of his problems...which is somewhat true," admitted Tania. "He's also on thin ice with his family head, because his older brother doesn't let him get away with nearly the same amount of nonsense his mother did."

Roxas nodded, as those had been particularly vivid memories for his best female friend.

Or as Hannah had bluntly put it, his soon-to-be girlfriend if Xion had any say about it.

Now that they had hearts, he was starting to see whole new sides of the people he thought he knew.

Xion was possessive, somewhat vindictive if cross (Axel firmly blamed Narcissa and some of it on Petunia for that), cheerful, funny, smart, and when it came to connections with others, she was very thorough. Whether it came to making new friends or destroying people who crossed her to the point she wouldn't tolerate it anymore.

Axel was laid back, still obsessed with fire, and slightly overprotective. He also seemed to be having a bit of a crush on Aqua, which she looked to be reciprocating back. He wished his best friend/older brother the best of luck on that.

Naminé was playful, happy, always open to new things and she seemed content to follow Xion's lead if necessary. Thanks to the art classes she was taking on the side, her skills had improved in leaps and bounds. Her room was filled with books of art and drawing.

Demyx was still the lazy, silly, slightly vindictive person he knew... but he seemed more laid back than Roxas remembered. He also seemed to have developed a brother/sister relationship with Xion, mostly over music.

Roxas did have to laugh when he found out where the piano had come from, and he was one of many taken aback by how good Xion was at playing it. Demyx had been with her long enough that he generally followed her lead, though a few times they reversed rolls with her accompanying whatever song he played.

All in all, Roxas could honestly say they were much happier now than they ever been when the Organization was still active.

* * *

Roxas couldn't help but get excited about the sport. It was almost like blitzball or struggle, save for the fact there was more than one ball and the rules were really, really weird. That and the fans were much more rabid.

Strangely, he was one of the few males present unaffected by the odd bird-women they called Veela. Axel being among that number.

Xion seemed very, very pleased with that realization, so much so that she turned off the rather terrifying aura around her. He never knew she was _that_ possessive.

When he saw Draco and Blaize later, they enlightened him as to why Xion made it so abundantly clear that Roxas was _hers_.

"There's a minority of 'cute', 'hot' or 'handsome' boys in Hogwarts. We're among that number, but thankfully our families make us slightly less appealing," said Blaize tiredly.

"That or we snag someone who's willing to act as a shield from the girls," said Draco.

"Tania staking her claim on you so publicly is a bit of a two-way shield. For her and you. Some of the girls might consider love potions to snare you as a husband after graduation, or try to seduce you outright. The same goes for her. She has it worse because she's a girl," said Blaize.

"How so?" asked Roxas, feeling stirrings of protectiveness surge. He lost her once, he wouldn't lose her a second time.

"She's the 'Girl-Who-Lived', she's got the most political power and positive connections of our school, she's clearly a Neutral who doesn't believe Dumbledore or fall in line with the Dark Lord's ideals, and she publicly challenges McGonagall, which means she has the rare sort of subtle courage most people lack," explained Draco.

"That's before we get into the fact she's one of the more attractive girls in the school, heir to _three_ titles instead of the normal two...one of which is a Founder's title, she's magically powerful, and thanks to so many people willing her their fortunes on their death, one of the richest girls in the school. She's also from two long lines of very sought after pure blood lines," said Blaize.

"In short, she's the most desirable girls in the school," they concluded.

Roxas blinked.

"So the fact she's all but declaring me as her boyfriend..."

"Protects you from what will soon be a rabid grouping of fan girls from trying to ensnare you, and keeps the boys from trying to harass her. It also cuts Dumbledore off once again from gaining control of her," said Draco.

"Well that and she genuinely seems to like you, to the point she lets you get away with infractions she doesn't allow to anyone else," added Blaize.

Roxas thought back to the look on Axel and Demyx's face when they realized he had more or less eaten three of the sea salt ice cream bars in the freezer when it was very well known it was 'that time of the month' for Xion. They had waited behind couches previously enchanted to withstand magical blasts for the explosion, only to watch as Xion barely reacted to the fact Roxas had gotten into _her_ private stash.

To be fair, the last time either boy had tried to eat any of her stash during that time of the month, she had either electrocuted or set them on fire...or froze them in ice for an hour, resulting in nasty colds. And that was before she got cranky.

The two older males called Roxas "the bravest man they ever met", because he was doomed to be with Xion.

Roxas and Draco were walking to the tent when he heard something that made him shudder openly.

"What is it?"

"Hannah's in there."

"Oh. OH. You poor bastard. She went after you once she realized you were the boy Tania went on about for the past few years didn't she?"

Roxas nodded miserably.

Considering how close his tent was to the girls, Draco gave him a look of profound compassion.

"If they try to rope you into girl talk again, let us know. We might respect Potter but no bloke deserves to be caught in the middle of _that_ ," said Draco.

"My brother thought it was hilarious to watch me suffer," said Roxas. He took a page out of Xion's book and froze Axel for ten minutes as payback.

"Yes, well I'm pretty sure it's in an older sibling handbook that states 'thou shalt throw younger siblings to the wolves and amuse themselves at their expense'."

"It's the Magic-given right of all older siblings to embarrass and tease their younger siblings," nodded Sirius knowingly. He knew for a fact Regulus damn near threw a party realizing he was in a different house from Sirius, because it limited the amount of access he had to his younger brother.

"You haven't been giving Axel tips have you?" said Roxas suspiciously. Sirius gave a smirk in return. "I think I'll ask Dobby to leave horrifying and unmentionable things in your clothes for the next month."

"Who's Axel?" asked Draco.

"Professor Ignis," said Roxas.

"That reminds me. Why is your name 'Windheart', and his Ignis?"

"Half-brothers from the same father. At some point I wandered into the group he was associated with and we didn't realize our relation until at least a week or so after I was brought in," shrugged Roxas. _Technically_ that was true, as the voice in the station of awakening was generally considered male. And both were formed from male Somebodies.

It also neatly explained why Roxas had a different name. An indiscriminate father was a lot easier to believe, and it gave him a 'tragic back story'. The fact Axel supposedly meet Xion while she was in Majorca, which had no formal magical community and wasn't part of the general one meant that records would be scarce.

Not that anyone had bothered to look for them thanks to Naminé.

And by now the students loved him too much for Dumbledore to get rid of him. The fact he knew what he was doing meant that the pure bloods would be reluctant to lose their only teacher in the old magic.

Roxas happily stuck with Draco and the other guys. At least until Tania arrived and poked her head in.

"Hey, you want to go check out the woods? I heard there's some pretty interesting things there," she asked.

"Go have fun you lovebirds!" Sirius cat-called.

"They're just going to use the trees as launching pads to shake off the rust," said Axel unconcerned.

"Why aren't you concerned? They're two horny teenagers about to walk into the woods alone with absolutely no adult supervision!" said Ted Tonks, Andromeda's husband. She had been invited on the Quidditch fun as well.

In the words of Narcissa, she wanted to "spread the misery".

Axel shrugged.

"I know my little brother. He's nowhere near ready for that sort of thing, and it's debatable whether he's even ready to 'make out' with Tania. Besides, they've been wanting to use their blades for a while now...mostly because he's still in shock it's her. She changed quite a bit since they saw each other last."

"Blades?" said Ted, worried.

Without a word, Roxas summoned _both_ his keyblades into his hand.

"Bloody hell. Not you too!" said Draco.

"What does that mean?" asked Roxas annoyed.

"First she shows up taking the title as Heir of Slytherin and now even her boyfriend is a bloody guardian! How many are going to pop up out of the woodwork?! Isn't being a guardian supposed to be some super once-in-a-lifetime occurrence?!"

"It's not that rare. It's just that on Lost Avalon they left before they bothered to become formally known and never came back. Besides I can count up to at least _ten_ Keyblade Wielders I know of, which is rather low," said Xion.

"Prove it," said Axel, joking.

"Aqua, Terra, Ventus, Master Yen Sid, King Mickey, Sora, Riku, Kairi, Sky and myself. That's ten," said Xion flatly.

"Dammit, she's right...wait, Kairi's a Keyblade Wielder too?!" said Axel.

"Apparently Aqua accidentally did an bequeathing ceremony with her, but she never used it until she found the desire to help Sora," said Xion shrugging.

"I saw it too," said Roxas.

"Go have fun shaking off the rust," said Axel.

"We will!" said Tania cheerfully.

* * *

At an unspoken signal, Xion and Roxas leaped at each other. She had Mirage Split, and Roxas had his two swords. The sound of actual blades clashing was heard in the quiet clearing, and it didn't take long for the two to start using the trees like springboards to get even higher.

The two were grinning wildly, blood pumping in a way that only came from fighting a skilled opponent. They were warriors, and while they weren't born and bred in the conventional sense they had all the same *instinct* a true warrior had.

They barely paid any mind to the people below, most of whom were taking their own walks or investigating the sound of the clash between Keyblades.

It was so much fun to let loose and just _fight_ like they normally did that it took them a few moments to realized that the noise in the background had moved from celebratory and happy to outright terror.

They jumped along the trees, not really bothered by how high they were (one tends to lose a fear of heights flying around in Neverland with nothing to support you...besides that tower they liked to sit on was pretty high up to begin with), and peered out into the camp ground.

Xion growled when she saw what was going on.

"The idiots who didn't get or care about the memo."

"What?"

"Death Eaters. Lucius and those on _my_ side because I claimed Slytherin's blade know I can't stand those tacky masks and hurting others for no good reason. These must be the hold outs who followed the previous Dark Lord because they wanted an excuse to hurt others, not because they believed his nonsense."

"What do we do?"

"Most of those who decided to leave his service have had their marks removed. But I have the magical signature for it. We can keep the civilians out of the way while the lesser Nobodies cause a distraction."

"Are you sure?"

"It's not like we're killing them if they get turned. All they have to do to revert back is have their Heartless and Nobody destroyed and not in the same order," said Xion unconcerned. "Besides, it either we set the Dusks and others on them, or I go out there and get especially nasty."

Roxas thought that over, winced, and then said "Right, let the Dusks have them. Setting you on them would be too cruel even for me."

"Exact... HEY! What does that mean?!" said Xion, mock offended.

Roxas said nothing, but started jumping down from the branches.

"Hey! Roxas, get your blond butt back here and explain!" shouted Xion.

"I'm not suicidal!" he shouted back, laughing.

And so the chase and mock argument began.

Needless to say Axel absolutely agreed with Roxas' assessment that being a Dusk was a far lesser punishment than having Xion getting creative.


	36. The Lost Blade of Gryffindor

Roxas nearly bolted when he saw Hannah. Xion, Naminé and Luna more or less forced him into the compartment.

"She couldn't possibly have freaked you out that bad," said Tania in some amusement.

He remembered a smidgen of the things she said and shuddered, trying to fight a blush. Xion looked amused, but also took some pity on him.

"Hannah, try to tone down the perversion around Sky. He's not as...worldly... as we are thanks to hearing the upper years chat."

"I would have thought he'd pick up that sort of thing from Professor Ignis."

"You really see Professor Ignis as the type of person to sleep around and then boast about it? He's still taking the idea of dating Professor Wayfinder slow!" said Tania.

"I concede that point. But we're hormonal teenagers who thanks to you have access to the internet and all it's perversions! I wouldn't be surprised if some of the pure bloods started using the old classrooms on a schedule once they realize you didn't bother to put much of a lock on the 'computers' you and Shadow set up!"

Fifth years and older were allowed to visit those sites. The fourth and below were more or less restricted to different computers, and Shadow made it clear that he expected that restriction to be upheld.

To that end, Flitwick installed age lines around them to insure that the younger students didn't get onto the wrong computers.

Hannah looked at the slightly freaked out Roxas and took pity on him.

"Alright, alright... I'll tone down the girl talk. But I won't hold back when it's just us!" said Hannah.

Roxas slumped in relief.

"So what house are you going to be sorted in?" asked Susan.

"I have no idea."

Roxas had been present when the three houses did an impromptu house warming early for the first years that were being lead by Sprout. Apparently she had wanted in on the mischief and had volunteered to allow Minerva time to do her paperwork before the year started.

As a result, when they found out Gryffindor _refused_ to use the internet, or even acknowledge the latest muggle trends (such as blue jeans and t-shirts, rather than stuffy robes that had to remain black unless they wanted the ire of the Mother Lion on them), most subconsciously chose to be sorted into other houses.

The Slytherins could put up with muggleborns in their precious house if it meant pissing off the Gryffindors...and by extension the headmaster. The more they took in, the fewer brash idiots they had to deal with.

As they chatted (with Roxas poking at his frogs with curiosity, because they freaked him out when he first saw them move) it didn't take long for him to leave the compartment to change into his bland robes.

That was when he ran into the "red-haired menace" as Hannah had called him.

Ron Weasley.

Something about him screamed "coward", which was pretty much the same instant assessment he generally got around Pete. That cat-creature was definitely a coward who followed Maleficent around.

Roxas heard the boy speak, but didn't really pay any mind to the words. At least until instinct made him duck and roll into a crouched battle position, the standard keyblade out in full glory.

Ron looked rather smug at tricking Roxas to expose himself as a Keyblade Wielder with a single hex.

He still didn't know why the red head had done it. And wouldn't until a week later.

* * *

" _GRYFFINDOR!"_ shouted the hat.

Stone cold silence, not because of the rare transfer from home-schooling, but because of the simple fact that it was the FIRST time the hat shouted that house all night.

The lions shifted uncomfortably. For the first time in who knew how many years, the first year dorms in Gryffindor tower would remain barren. Aside from a fourth-year transfer, the lions hadn't gained a _single_ new student.

More shocking was the fact that Slytherin had openly accepted no less than five new muggleborn students without a peep of protest.

Tania's light bumping of her head against the wooden table was the only sound that could be heard.

Of _course_ the hat wouldn't just let their scheme to give Gryffindor a wake-up call go without some mischief of his own. That and Roxas did fit the profile of real bravery and courage compared to the rest of the lions.

Still, at least now she had an "in" with the lions that Dumbledore wasn't aware of just yet.

* * *

It took a scant week before Dumbledore summoned "Sky Windheart" to his office to discuss something. His dorm mates (save Ron who had been booted out last year and now had his own room away from the others) assumed it had to do with fixing some minor scheduling or other school related matter. After all, it was bound to be awkward coming into formal schooling from a home-school environment.

Instead Dumbledore showed Roxas the sorting hat, and had him place his hand inside.

Considering it had been around longer than Dumbledore, and he had put his head in it last night, Roxas did so with a confused look.

That confusion turned to shock as he felt something latch onto his hand. A familiar sensation of being accepted by a Keyblade...and from the hilt he was guessing it was an old, practically forgotten one.

Roxas slowly removed his hand, noticing with some concern the smug expression on Dumbledore's face.

"Can you tell me what the name of that blade is, Mr. Windheart?"

Roxas answered without knowing how he knew this. Much like he had known the names of his usual keyblades.

"A Keyblade."

"Not a Keyblade. You see that my dear boy is known as the lost Sword of Gryffindor. The fact you were able to draw the sword from the hat means that you are Gryffindor's heir. Only a true Gryffindor could remove that sword and not have it vanish."

Roxas knew he was lying. He knew Dumbledore knew _exactly_ what the blade in his hand was, and he suspected the old man wanted him to counter Tania as the "heir of Gryffindor". Suddenly Ron's strange attack on the train made perfect sense.

Ron was given the task of "outing" Roxas as a Keyblade Wielder.

Unfortunately for Dumbledore, Roxas wasn't some newly instated user. He was a dual-wielder and one who had fought and died on the field of battle. He had been manipulated by the best.

And this fake was using wasn't enough trickery to overcome Roxas' natural suspicion of him. Roxas allowed the keyblade to disperse, he could decide about what to do with this new development later. He was polite when the old man allowed him to leave. But Roxas still caught the smug look in his eyes.

* * *

"He _what_?!" shrieked Xion in fury.

Roxas waited until after classes before he showed them his new Keyblade.

"What's it name?" asked Aqua, her face furious that Dumbledore had known the location of a second Keyblade.

"Nightmare's End, Reality Shift," said Roxas.

Xion's anger faded the moment she heard the name.

"Did you just say 'Reality Shift'?" asked Xion. Roxas nodded.

Xion summoned _her_ Keyblade.

"This is Mirage Split, Reality Shift," she calmly said, as they compared the blades. Aside from a difference in the metal color, they could have been twins. Closer inspection revealed that the two could fit together, like pieces of a puzzle.

"I think these two go together. Which makes sense, considering two of the four Founders were Keyblade Wielders," said Aqua after a close examination.

"Which means we'll have to discreetly work on our combination attacks. Good thing we were already in sync to begin with," said Xion.

"In the meantime, I want you to be extra cautious around the headmaster and his known pawns. Odds are he'll try to parade you around as the new 'heir of Gryffindor' for drawing that sword," said Aqua.

Roxas nodded.

"I knew he was up to something the moment he corrected me and called it the 'sword of Gryffindor'. He _knew_ what it was I had, but he deliberately tried to keep me ignorant," said Roxas.

"This place is suck a pain in the arse. I cannot _wait_ to get this all over with," said Xion exasperated.

"Here, here," said the others.

"Oh, and before I forget...these are yours to grade," said Axel, dumping a large stack of parchment on an unprepared Roxas.

"You're a jerk, you know that?" said Roxas grumbling.

"Hey, I have to deal with a bunch of hormonal girls after my blood all day long. I'm not grading their chicken scratch when I have a perfectly able minion...I mean assistant to do it," said Axel. Then he smirked. "Besides, isn't it the sacred duty of all older brothers to give their younger siblings a hard time just because?"

"You spend too much time with Sirius," said Xion.

"And you spent an unhealthy amount of time with Narcissa," countered Axel without a hint of hesitation.

"Agreed!" said Aqua and Roxas, who vaguely knew Narcissa. His exposure had been thankfully minor. Xion had _years_ of it, and look how she ended up!

Xion pouted. She liked Narcissa.

* * *

 _Heir of Gryffindor found! Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw next?_

Roxas scowled openly at the paper. Thankfully he had kept Colin from taking any pictures, so there wasn't any real photos of what he looked like. All the article said was that a fourth-year student had discovered the lost "Inheritance of Gryffindor" almost two years after Xion not-so-subtly declared her rights as the Heir of Slytherin.

Naturally this set the magicals in a tizzy, two missing heirs of the Founders being 'discovered' mere years apart. Both of them of breeding age, no less.

Never before was he as glad Xion...no, Tania, had more or less publicly declared him _her_ boyfriend. The look on her face would have scared off a dragon, she was that mad.

So what she did next didn't rock the boat. Oh no, it outright capsized the damn thing with the shockwaves she sent through the rumor mill of the school.

Tania got up, stalked to where Roxas was, and to the complete disbelief of the entire school and multiple scheming minds, _kissed him on the mouth_.

The silence was so complete that you could literally hear a needle drop on the stone floor.

Tania made a show of looking left, right and behind her.

"Any of you girls try to make a move on _my_ boyfriend will have to answer to me. I don't give a damn if he _is_ the so-called Heir of Gryffindor, he's _mine_ ," said Tania flatly.

Roxas was still shell shocked by the kiss, but the relief he felt at her public and very clear declaration was still visible if you knew how to look.

Didn't stop Axel from laughing his ass off though.

Hannah was cackling, Susan was shaking her head in amusement, and the two blonds were still snickering at the look on Roxas' face when he realized what Xion was doing. The fact he hadn't resisted her kiss, and didn't do a single thing to deny her public declaration meant that there was a slew of disappointed girls in the school.

The fact he tentatively kissed her later at dinner meant that the entire school knew that he was officially off the market. No sane person wanted to try and pry Titania Potter-Black away from the first male she ever showed an interest in.

His fan club was disappointed (as was her rather massive one), but there was also a sense of inevitability. Like they had known she was going to stake her claim on the new boy somehow, but no one had anticipated it would be _that_.

Either way, Tania's circle of friends (in which Roxas was absolutely included, if only to give Neville some guy friends to commiserate with) found the way she handled it absolutely hilarious.

By this point they had known she was rather possessive of her friends.

They just hadn't counted on her being _that_ possessive of her new boyfriend to the point she would throw a freaking boulder rather than a stone into the freaking rumor mill.

Case in point, the second the press caught wind of the very public and very clear sign of possessiveness towards a boy, the headlines had a field day of a new "power couple" in Hogwarts.

And while the Quibbler was no longer under the jurisdiction of Luna (one of her cousins kept the paper alive in memory of her father...she stayed on as journalist only) there was still a full interview given by Tania and Roxas two days later. The _only_ interview either of them would give.

* * *

Dumbledore kept trying to drag Roxas in for private discussions, but he successfully kept the old man sidelined by simply bringing Axel with him. As his legal and magical guardian, he had every right to be there considering he _worked_ at the school. He didn't need permission to join Roxas, he could go any time.

Frankly Tania couldn't wait for Halloween, when the dignitaries from the three schools would be showing up. That was the other big thing this year, though she was going to put up a charm around the damn cup to keep her name out of it.

She wasn't an idiot. A tournament with an extremely high death rate, and the fact Dumbledore had apparently cottoned on to the revelation she was obviously cutting all ties with him to take him down later? Yeah, he'd totally allow her to be forced into the stupid thing just in the hopes of seeing her killed off for him, without lifting a finger.

And to that end the entire group was scouring the tournament rules, by-laws, and all known legalities concerning participants.

There were a few rules that had been added over the years concerning involuntary participants. It all boiled down to the same thing.

If a student was entered without their consent or knowledge, then they could contest the entry itself and have the goblet decided if the entry was valid. If it was deemed invalid because of an illegal entry, then magic would give a very clear and violent demonstration of why it shouldn't be tricked into harming _children_.

As this was the version for students, there was a great deal more leeway for involuntary participants.

However if the participant were tricked into going through the first task, then they had no choice but to compete in the other tasks.

Another thing they discovered, to the surprise (and delight of the girls) was that every time a Tri-Wizard tournament was held, there was always a ball. It was meant to instill inter-school unity and make it easier for students to mingle in a relaxed setting.

This was when Tania hit upon an ingenious idea.

The Hogwarts music club would provide the music for the ball, including the waltz.

At least now they had time to prepare a proper showing for the other schools.

"So how are we going to impress the Bulgarians and the French?" asked Susan, rubbing her eyes from reading too much.

Xion looked at Roxas.

"Keyblade battle between two skilled fighters? With the lower magics on the side?"

"Works for me. Gives everyone a good demonstration of what we can do, and allows us to let off some steam," agreed Roxas.

"Lower magics?" asked Hermione.

"Fire, Thunder, Blizzard, Aero... you get the idea. All the level one stuff," said Xion.

"Oh, carry on then."


	37. Halloween Exhibitions

The entire collective school was waiting outside in the freezing cold. Fortunately by this time most of the students had the presence of mind to A) use warming charms, or B) huddle closer together to share body heat.

Tania was gleefully a member of the second category, sharing space with an amused Roxas.

Once he got over the shock of suddenly being plunged into dating his best _female_ friend, and the sudden attitude changed (and by that he meant actually gained a rather unique personality her own with a broad range of actual emotions), he settled in quite well. He easily ignored the looks McGonagall shot him, because frankly he could care less.

And like Xion, he did his laundry firmly in the laundry room of the Castle That Never Was, rather than give the house elves even a _remote_ chance of snagging any of his clothes. Needless to say that bit frustrated McGonagall even if he did relent to the point he changed the color of the chains to a gold, rather than a silver.

It hadn't taken long upon realizing "Sky Windheart" wasn't going to bow under McGonagall's stern rules that the other students started to relax, save for Ron. The mental comparison to Pete kept getting stronger and stronger the longer he skulked around trying to ferret any secrets to use against him or the others.

Under the guidance of Roxas, the rest of the Gryffindors were tentatively starting to follow suit with the other three houses. All hush-hush of course, because McGonagall would bandy about detentions and lost points, but it was still better progress than Tania had made without an ally in that house.

The girls, particularly the fashion conscious ones like Lavender and Padma's twin sister Parvati, were quick to adapt to the new rules, relying on Roxas' blatant dismissal of their head of house to skate under the radar.

As long as she was focused on bringing Windheart to heel, she would ignore the rest.

Roxas got McGonagall's attention on him long enough to distract her from Parvati's rather odd hair ornament. It was flashy and could be construed as pretty, but not very practical. She flashed him a smile in thanks. How did he distract her you ask? He kissed his girlfriend.

The same girl who had been irritating McGonagall since the "Clothing Incident" as the other students called it.

Having a girlfriend, a heart, and no real reason to care how people saw them, Roxas had gotten used to what Hannah and Susan called "PDA's", or Public Displays of Affection. Xion certainly didn't mind, because she snuggled closer to him.

It was to this scene that the French school of Beauxbatons and the Bulgarian school of Durmstrang arrived to.

Sure, their displays were moderately impressive, but when Dumbledore went to make a half-assed showing for Hogwarts, he was rudely interrupted by a reformed pair of Weasley twins.

After having a long talk with Bill and Charlie, and being given permission to start a joke shop provided they weren't caught bullying the other students anymore and actually brought their grades up, the two had become "more tolerable" in the words of Snape.

Ginny was still a toss up, but at this point everyone thought she was likely to be married off to someone she at least tolerated in hopes of raising the name of Weasley out of the mire their now former Mother had left them in with her crimes.

With Dumbledore's display cut off, there was a sound of fire crackers as Tania and Roxas stood in their casual clothes. They wouldn't bother with the armor from the fairies...that was a surprise they'd save for later when they needed it.

Before McGonagall could work up to a rant, the two summoned their Keyblades. What followed was a display of pure acrobatics, wandless magic, and sword skill that left the students and visitors awed at the sheer _skill_ displayed.

It was already known they had the missing blades of Gryffindor and Slytherin.

What they were doing was subtly challenging Dumbledore.

When they finished their demonstration, the applause was _enormous._

"We proudly present the power couple of Hogwarts! The current heirs of Slytherin (Tania took a bow) and Gryffindor (Roxas bowed)! Proof that love can conquer even age old rivalries!" said a cheerful Luna and Naminé.

* * *

A figure dropped down from the ceiling on their broom, and then took out a well used piece of chalk. It went around the goblet of fire, then made a series of invisible runes on the floor. With a clap, the circle activated and a secondary age line was set.

This one was geared towards keeping anyone older than nineteen from getting past. With that line done (it would dissipate after the names came out) the figure donned the cloak again and vanished...scant moments before a taller, obviously older one came in with a piece of parchment.

The amount of swearing the second figure let loose upon realizing there was another age line almost drew the teachers. After one last attempt to put the parchment in, it left with a huff. It would come back periodically to keep trying, until early in the morning when they gave up.

* * *

Tania breathed a sigh of relief when her name _didn't_ come up. After Flitwick confirmed there would be a Yule ball near Christmas, Tania had him convince Dumbledore to allow the Hogwarts Music club to provide the music.

After that though... she would have to enlist the aid of the faeries. It was cheaper and much more fun than simply buying dresses! And thanks to the fact they cleaned out the Black family home, they had a large amount of jewelry that they could chose from.

Tania and Roxas were in the library when they were discreetly approached by Viktor Krum.

"Those blades you were using. Are they the Guardian Blades?" he asked in accented English.

"Guardian?" said Roxas.

"Another word for Keyblade apparently. Since people like us guard the worlds and dispatch Heartless and Nobodies, we're sometimes referred to as 'Guardian Blades', rather than Keyblade Wielders," explained Tania.

"Oh. In that case yes, they are Guardian Blades," said Roxas.

"How much would it cost to clear out our school?" asked Krum uncomfortably.

Tania and Roxas stared at him.

"Wait... does Durmstrang have a heartless infestation?"

"Headmaster not mention it, but a strange sorceress has taken up residence in nearby castle, and her experiments have been running loose. Some have ended up in school," said Krum.

"Sorceress? Greenish skin, horned robe and a crow familiar with an odd man who looks like a cat as her minion?" asked Tania seriously.

"We would deal with her ourselves, but she's a dragon animagus."

Xion groaned, as Roxas face palmed.

"Maleficent. So _that's_ where she went when that phoenix Nobody chased her off," said Xion.

"Probably found the fact that the Darkness was about to take this world appealing and stuck around," groaned Roxas.

Xion looked at a confused Viktor.

"Wait until summer after the tournament and we'll kick her out. Having her around isn't going to help at all with our goals," said Xion.

"How much this cost?" asked Krum flatly.

"A tour of your school and the chance for an alliance later against Dumbledore's supporters," said Xion equally flat.

"Is deal," said Krum, heartened to know that the tales of the Guardians were true. A tour and an alliance was a small price to pay to be rid of the monsters threatening their school.

When he left, Roxas looked at Xion.

"Can't believe _Maleficent_ is here," said Roxas, putting up his book.

"I can. Demyx hasn't heard a word about her, but everyone still remembers she exists so obviously she would have been holed up _somewhere_ off the beaten path."

"At least we won't be bored out of our minds this summer," said Roxas.

"True. So which runes are you having trouble with again?"

"These. They're supposed to be healing runes, but they don't work like they should," complained Roxas, pointing them out.

"Ah. No wonder. Did you get them from the Black family library by any chance?"

"Aunt Narcissa handed me the books when I said I wanted to learn more healing spells. She said something about how healers and mediwizards should always know how to defend themselves?"

"She would say that. These runes aren't _just_ for healing. They're also used for malignant purposes as well, like reversing their intended effect. They're not illegal (kinda hard to make an old language illegal) but they're really frowned upon by healers because it's about the intent of the one using them that determines their purpose."

"So they're no good?"

"They're good for a weaker version, but if you want the ones that are more effective you should try these," said Tania, sketching out a rough set of runes for him.

She might be a fourth year, but she got the hang of languages really quickly. So much so that she was put into the advanced runes once she proved she could handle the work load.

"What are you two chatting about so secretively?" asked Naminé, giggling.

"Roxas is having trouble with his runes again."

"That's one of the few classes you two aren't together in, right?" said Luna.

"Before you say anything, we weren't being 'lovey-dovey' so you two can drop the act," said Xion.

"This coming from Ms. Kiss-a-lot?" said Luna snickering.

"What was that? I thought I heard something rude just now," said Xion, pinching Luna's face cheeks roughly with both hands.

Then she turned her attention on Naminé, putting her into a headlock.

The three were so close it was no wonder everyone thought of them as mismatched sisters.

* * *

"EH!? Your Gummi Ship is finally fixed?" said Xion.

" _You bet, kupo! Took forever too! Cid is such a miser, kupo!"_ complained Shadow.

Shadow had been fixing that Gummi ship since Xion found him in Diagon. To hear it was finally fixed to the point that they could fly it around rather than use the Corridors for everything... Xion was thrilled.

"So where are you going to take it first?"

" _No choice, kupo. Have to fly it to the Moogle Village to visit my family, kupo. The Corridor thankfully doesn't reach that far, kupo,"_ said Shadow.

She could understand why he was relieved. If the corridor could reach his world, that meant the heartless had a foothold on it. She couldn't use the corridor to get to Disney Castle either.

" _Tell you what, kupo. When I get back I'll bring presents from my home village!"_ said Shadow.

"Be careful Shadow. And you're always welcome in our home... kupo," said Xion smiling.

" _Hey, that's my line, kupo!"_ said Shadow, pretending to hit her. Xion laughed.

"Go have fun with your family for a while. You've more than earned it!" said Xion.

" _I'll be back soon, kupo,"_ promised Shadow.

* * *

"Where's 'Professor' Shadow?" asked Susan.

"He finally got his ship up and running, so he's making an overdue visit to his home village. He did mention presents though," said Tania.

"Hold on. _Ship_? What ship?" said Hannah.

"Gummi Ship. Apparently Cid refused to fix it unless he paid the full amount, and it took him a while to come up with the munny to pay him off."

"Ouch," said Hermione.

"Anyway he should be back soon, before the first task hopefully. Sky said he was being considered for Madam Pomphrey's apprentice, since he's so good at healing magic."

It was ironic, but Roxas had always been the best healer out of the Organization. Well, perhaps not ironic, considering his element was light, which was common for healers.

As such, it was very little surprise that Xemnas had Roxas learn _every_ white magic spell he could get his hands on, including the older and obscure ones.

Tania pouted.

"I'm going to miss having something fluffy to cuddle while he's gone," said Tania.

"What does that mean?" asked Roxas.

"Tania likes to hug Shadow as if he were a teddy bear at night. It's surprisingly comfortable and he doesn't seem to mind. Well since he's not currently available, what about 'Fluffy'?" asked Naminé.

"Too big. But still fits his name," said Tania disappointed.

"It's worth trying isn't it? See if he can shrink down," said Naminé.

"Not like I have anything better to do until close to dinner anyway. Music club isn't until tomorrow, and we're _still_ narrowing down our selections. Good thing we finally fixed the issue with our music players...it means I can take a break and enjoy the ball too," said Tania. She suddenly grinned at a now nervous Roxas. "And I found the _perfect_ duet for us."

"Why do I feel a sense of foreboding?"

"Because she's going to drag you to the music room so that you can practice," said Hermione flatly.

* * *

 _In the World That Never Was..._

"Cerberus! Here boy! Where did you run off to this time you silly dog?" said Xion.

Hearing the sound of baying hounds, she grinned and turned around. Cerberus came barreling down upon her, before skidding to a stop to avoid running over her. He brought his heads down, and she made sure to give each of them a good scratch on the ear. His tail wagged a mile a minute.

"Such a good dog. Who's a good boy?"

Cerberus barked.

"Hey Cerberus... is it possible for you to shrink down into something smaller? That way you could hide in the castle with me and the others without being chased off," said Xion.

Cerberus cocked his heads. Shrink down? Hades had never even considered the idea. He just wanted bigger, scarier, meaner.

"Pretty silly idea, right?" said Xion. She continued to give him attention...right up until he started to glow.

It was so bright she had to shield her eyes...and what was now before her had her staring.

It was fluffy. It was small. It was the perfect size for an adorable lap dog. In fact it looked more like a puffball than a big mean guardian of the underworld.

The fluffball of doom barked, in a cute yap. Xion stared for three seconds before her natural instincts kicked in.

"SOOOOO CUTE!"

She scooped up the small dog, who proceeded to give her face a thorough washing with his tongue. It's fluffy tail continued to wag like crazy.

Who knew Cerberus could turn from big mean guard dog into such an adorable fluffy puppy?

Which was why, shortly after returning from Hogsmeade after a weekend, it was brought to the attention of Professor Sprout that a stray dog had followed Tania back into the castle, and refused to leave.

She called him Homura. So long as he didn't disrupt her classes or make a mess, Sprout looked the other way. And she gave Tania a slip stating she had permission to keep the dog. It wasn't that big of a troublemaker. Homura was a total lapdog from what she had seen.

 _ **(A/N: If you want to know what Cerberus turns into, look up episode 7 of**_ **Dances with Devils** ** _. The dog called "Loewen" is what I'm basing his smaller form off of.)_**


	38. Puffball of DOOM

"Wait...this is Hades' dog Cerberus?!" said Axel, staring at the puffball on Tania's lap.

"I asked if he could become smaller so he could stay in the castle with me. Next thing I knew he turned into this," said Xion, hugging the fluffy hell hound.

"He's so cute!" said Luna. She wanted to hug him too!

Cerberus barked...though it was more of a yap...as he wagged his tail. Everybody seemed to love the fluffy side of him.

"Beware the puffball," said Axel, once he got over the disbelief. Cerberus barked happily.

"So what are we going to do about the Yule ball?" asked Roxas.

"Well us girls are going to visit the three fairies. Nothing says ball like a princess dress. I don't know if they can do formal wear for boys too though," said Xion.

Roxas shuddered.

"I'll take him to London and have one fitted for him," said Axel, sparing Roxas the horrors of having to endure girl-talk.

Roxas had developed a paranoia of being anywhere when that started.

* * *

Shadow returned a month later, with the promised "gifts". For Roxas he brought some special duty ear plugs so he could avoid the dreaded "girl talk" that he was so terrified of. For Axel he brought a book on how to handle dating. For Aqua he brought some new books to read. For Luna, he brought a Chocobo egg (she was delighted to finally have a pet). For Naminé he brought several art supplies. And finally for Xion, he brought several music sheets worth of songs from the worlds around.

She was already updating the music selection for the Yule Ball.

"So any idea what they're planning for the first task?" asked Susan.

"Dragons. Specifically nesting mothers from what I saw," said Tania, not realizing everyone in the Hufflepuff house heard her.

Stone silence.

"What?"

"How do you know it's dragons?" asked Cedric, nervously. Understandable considering HE was Hogwart's champion.

Tania held up Cerberus.

"The 'puffball of doom' likes to run around the lake. I ran into Charlie Weasley while I was walking him, and but not before I heard the word 'mothers' and heard the dragon roaring," said Tania deadpan. "I didn't get a look at what kind they had, but it wasn't hard to put two and two together, especially when he didn't recognize me and I wasn't wearing my school uniform. He might have thought I was a Ravenclaw or Gryffindor."

That and she had changed her hair to blond with green eyes out of boredom.

Cedric looked relieved at the forewarning, but terrified (naturally so) of facing a dragon. Especially a nesting mother, if Tania was right.

And she was. Less than a scant month after Shadow came back, Cedric found himself facing a mother dragon with a nest just to get a fake egg from her.

It was a good thing Tania found out by accident and told him, because neither of his competitors were remotely surprised to find out about the dragons.

Jerks.

Seeing that massive dragon waiting for him, he scanned the audience and it took him a few seconds to realize _what_ he was seeing Tania Potter sitting on.

A bloody Cerberus. Not only that, but it was the _same_ dog that appeared two years ago causing one hell of a ruckus before vanishing without a trace. The same hell hound that Hagrid had so affectionately called "Fluffy" for reasons he very much did not want clarified for the sake of his sanity.

Then he blinked, and all that was there was the same ball of fur that had supposedly followed Potter back from Hogsmeade and now mooched off the girls by hiding under the table at meal times for them to drop food on the floor.

The furball got a lot of snacks from the students, to the amusement of Tania.

He then looked at the dragon, and realized for the sake of all things sane and holy he was better off not asking until later.

In this case, almost immediately after the first task.

"Why did I see a vicious three headed hell hound behind you before I faced the dragon?" asked Cedric with a low hiss to avoid being heard.

"Oh, you saw Homura's original form. I'm surprised you saw that," said Tania unconcerned.

"You have a bloody _Cerberus_ for a pet dog. Are you kidding me?"

"He's more of a lapdog and I have it on good authority that Hades is still trying (and failing) to train his replacement since I refuse to hand him back. Poor thing was cooped up in Tartarus," said Tania with a straight face.

"Do I want to know?"

"Not really."

"Then for the sake of my continued sanity, I'll quit asking," said Cedric.

"Would you like a tidbit that the teachers haven't mentioned about the tournament every time it's come up?"

"Is it life threatening or dangerous?"

"Only to your feet if you can't dance."

"Then why not."

"There's going to be a ball. Roughly around Christmas. They're going to announce it before the second task, and I'm considering bringing three fairies to handle the dresses if the girls are interested. We already have ours prepared," said Tania with a straight face.

Cedric made a face.

"Thanks for the heads up."

He turned to Sky and said "If they're bringing in more girls to talk while they get dressed, I'll do the honorable thing and kidnap you so you don't have to listen to Hannah Abbot."

It was no secret Windheart had run afoul of Abbot's perverted girl talk, because he refused to be alone with her and other like minded friends. He felt sorry for the guy, being stuck in that even once.

Abbot and anyone like her were a menace. She could make a seasoned sailor blush with the amount of perverted innuendo she knew.

* * *

The second the ball was announced for Christmas, the girls went into a fervor. That was when Tania struck.

"Alright girls. For those of you who haven't got a dress to wear, or want to upgrade, come see me in the second Music room where we keep the spare instruments on the fourth floor. I've got a special surprise for you all," she announced to the Hogwarts students.

Needless to say a good chunk of them came...and some of them squealed in excitement when they recognized the three fairies.

"It's Flora, Fauna and Merryweather from _Sleeping Beauty_!" said Mandy from Ravenclaw.

"That's right, the same good fairies who protected Aurora from Maleficent until she turned sixteen are here to help us one-up the French girls and make us all look fabulous~!" said Tania.

"We'll get you ready for the ball..." started Flora.

"While Titania makes sure that the music doesn't fall flat!" said Fauna.

"And if you need help with ideas, ask Naminé! She's a master at color coordination!" said Merryweather.

Naminé held up her pencils. She found them easier to draw with than the crayons she previously used.

"Alright girls, let's get to work~!" said Naminé. Tania grinned.

"So have you got the music selection picked out?" asked Hermione.

"We start with a waltz, then we get to play whatever we want. Fortunately we found a way to make MP3's work here, otherwise I'd never get a decent break!" said Tania.

"So what songs are you going to play for the ball?"

" _Angel of Darkness_ is a must. So is _Friendship Through the Ages,_ though I'm going to need the choirs help for that one. Hmm... let's see..."

"...Isn't _Friendship Through the Ages_ a MLP song?" said Hermione.

"Yeah, but it has a piano opening and I liked the lyrics. By the way, are you going to the fairies for your ball gown? I heard Krum asked you out," said Tania impishly.

"He did, and how did you hear about that?"

"Shadow. He was in the library looking up a potions tome and he overheard you two. Why people dismiss him when he's not addressing the class I'll never get."

"Just like I'll never understand how you got that massive dog to turn into...that," said Hermione.

"Aw, but he's so cute and fluffy now!"

"Exactly. He's a hell hound, he's not supposed to be so...so..."

"Huggable?" suggested Tania.

"Yes!"

Tania held up the dog in question. He practically followed her everywhere save the Transfiguration class.

"How could you say no to hugging this face?"

"GAH! He's too cute for words! It's not fair I tell you!"

Cerberus barked in a cute manner. Hermione lost it at that point, because she started hugging him. Tania snickered.

"No one can resist the puff ball of doom," giggled Tania.

"So have you gotten this week's assignment done for Runes?"

"Hermione, I always do my work the day I get it. Makes life easier in the long run."

"What about the assignment by Professor Wayfinder?"

"Master Aqua prefers practical lessons to written work. Our next one is going to be on advanced keyblade tactics...though you should have seen her face when she found out who my new dog was..." snickered Tania.

She had actually fainted seeing Cerberus change from the "puff ball of doom" into his true form. Even Axel hadn't been that bad.

Xion grinned.

"Besides, I still have to work on my Drive forms."

"Really? You have the same Drive forms Sora has?" said Hermione excitedly.

"Not exactly. Sky can use them too, but ours are different. Want to watch?" asked Xion.

"Yes!"

* * *

 _An hour later..._

"This is the practice room inside the castle. I'm going to work with Demyx for this today."

Hermione, Luna, Naminé, and Axel were watching from above.

"Begin!" said Aqua, drawing her Keyblade.

Xion took a stance, and channeled her magic into the armor from the fairies.

" _Symphony Drive Start!"_

Demyx turned into a blue light that went inside Xion, as her clothes took a distinctly sea-blue tint. In this form, her water and musical attacks (not that she had many) took a major boost. She could also create clones, but they were incredibly weak.

Hence why she needed practice.

That wasn't the only change. Where her Keyblade was once a luminescent black, was now an electric guitar.

Hermione frowned.

"I thought that Drive forms were only supposed to change the clothes?"

"While the games are mostly accurate, there are times they'll get it wrong," said Luna.

"Besides, Xion has always been a little different. I think this only happens when she uses Drive form with Nobodies she's given hearts too," said Naminé.

When she used Drive Form with Naminé, her keyblade became a massive paintbrush.

"How long can she sustain a Drive Form?" asked Hermione.

"Depends on how much power she uses. For Keyblade-only, it's ten minutes. If she uses the powers of the ones she's synchronized with, it can be from anywhere to five or seven and a half minutes. The more power she uses, the shorter the time span. She's getting better though... it used to be only two minutes," said Luna.

"...So what happens when she syncs up with you?" asked Axel, looking at Luna. He hadn't seen Xion combine Drive with Luna yet.

"Summon Drive. Allows her to summon the lower ranked contracts for a period of five minutes, as well as use my Blue magic for two full minutes. She can't access my Seer's powers though...too weak or the wrong element to use them," said Luna.

"What about the Drive form with Sky or Professor Ignis?"

"She can't use ours. I can only do it with Axel or Naminé, and even then it's for a shorter period than Xion," said Roxas. They had tried, but something blocked it.

"Oh look! Xion is using her sonic attacks!" said Luna eagerly.

"Sonic attacks?" said Hermione.

"See that odd thing on the side of her face near the mouth? It's an amplified microphone. All she has to do is aim the guitar and the sound waves can be translated into an attack," said Naminé.

"I thought she could only play piano?"

"That's why the one playing the guitar is Demyx. She provides the lyrics of the song, and he provides the movements of the guitar. All she has to do is sing and aim. They're really good at combination attacks, likely because he was the first Nobody she restored the Heart too," said Luna.

"She tried to play the guitar without him and it sounded _awful_ ," giggled Naminé.

"Oh, by the way... Tania said something about getting our ears pierced after Christmas. You interested?" said Luna.

"My parents would kill me if I did," said Hermione.

"Have you tried asking them?" asked Luna.

"No, but when my older sister got her ears pierced without permission, Mum threw a major fit."

"Then ask first," said Naminé.

"What are earrings?" asked Roxas.

"They're pieces of jewelry you hang from your ears. It's more of a girl thing, but some guys have one of their ears pierced for aesthetic reasons," said Axel.

"Oh, you mean like Cloud from Olympus Coliseum?" said Roxas, remembering the blond. His left ear had some sort of ornament on it.

"Pretty much," said Hermione.

"That actually sounds interesting," admitted Roxas.

"You sure you want to have your ears pierced Sky? You have to take care of them for a few months, or you'll risk getting them infected," said Hermione.

"I'd have to see what they have available."

Hermione looked at Axel. He shrugged.

"If he wants to get his ears pierced it's not my problem so long as it doesn't affect his ability to fight," said Axel.

Suddenly the two split apart, the Drive Form coming apart.

"Time!" shouted Aqua.

"Eight minutes!" Luna called out.

Xion and Aqua sparred until the Drive limit refilled. That was when the "puff ball of doom" appeared and barked cutely.

"Homura, what are you doing here?" said Xion, pausing in her assault on Aqua.

Cerberus glowed, and briefly there was the shadow of his true form. Then it turned a bright red, as if the color of flame...and slammed into Xion.

She gasped as she felt a new Drive form awaken.

Her outfit turned a hellfire red, with black and deep blue accents. Her keyblade changed form as well. At the hilt were three distinct canine heads, all biting the blade. The blade became a wicked black color with vicious serrated edges that looked like teeth.

"What's that form called?" asked Aqua as she calmly slide into a defensive stance.

"Tartarus Drive," said Xion after thinking about it.

"Appropriate, considering Cerberus is the guardian of the Underworld, and another name for it is Tartarus."

Xion found her flame spells and dark spells got a _major_ upgrade while the Tartarus drive was active.

Considering it was the first time going into Drive form with Cerberus, it was understandable that it deactivated much quicker than normal.

She found that the more times she "synchronized" with those she could activate the Drive with, the longer she could hold it.

However it was what happened after it deactivated that had everyone staring...before Luna started giggling and Hermione groaned.

"Is _nothing_ ever normal when it comes to you, Tania?"

Cerberus came out of Drive form as a red hair, almost black-eyed human...thankfully _with_ clothes.

"...I hate my life sometimes," said Xion, facepalming. Why did this always happen to her?

* * *

( _ **A/N:**_ **Again, I blame** _Dance with Devils_ **as my inspiration for what happened to Cerberus. He looks and acts like Loewen in human form, save for the blood-red hair and eyes as black as coals. His outfit is similar too, except it's darker and has silver instead of white.)**


	39. Five Keyblade Wielders

"It's official. You've watched too many anime," said Aqua, once the shock wore off.

"Tell me about it. And how did you pull this off?!" said Xion to Cerberus.

The canine-turned-human smiled, as he copied the attitude "Loewen" had in the anime she had watched a few months back.

"Once I figured out how to change my shape into something smaller, changing my form to human was simple," he said pleasantly.

Xion pinched the bridge of her nose.

"You are not coming into our room as a human. Ever."

"Of course not. Mortals tend to overlook me in my... cuddly...form," said Homura.

"I should have expected something like this. Really," said Hermione, eyebrows twitching.

"How did this happen?" asked Aqua.

"The familiar bond goes both ways. The closer the bond, the easier it is for the familiar to gain new abilities to better serve their Master," said Homura.

"Tia isn't going to change into a human any time soon is she?"

"No. She merely has a pet bond. At most she'll obey you, but she won't gain any new abilities," he said smiling.

Xion felt nothing but relief. To be fair, she _was_ more of a dog person.

"So what do we call you?" asked Naminé.

"I believe Mistress has taken to calling me 'Homura' in my smaller form."

"Homura it is then. How come Hades never found out about any of this?" asked Xion.

The newly dubbed "Homura" made an expression of distaste at the reminder of his former Master, before he carefully schooled it. To be honest he reminded Xion a lot of Sai from the _Naruto_ series with how he did that.

"Hades (Homura spat out the name like a curse) never bothered to learn any of my abilities. All he cared about was that I appeared big, mean and could take out any intruders. He barely fed me as it was," said Homura. "He also kept me chained to one spot save when it came time to chase intruders."

"Poor puppy," said Luna sympathetically.

Homura looked at Xion with absolute devotion in his gaze.

"You are the first Master I've ever had who feeds me regularly, allows me to run freely and even plays with me, much less give me actual affection. You are also the only one who's ever treated me like a comrade rather than a mere guard dog."

"Your compassion strikes again, Xion," snickered Luna.

"You're not mad at me are you?" asked Homura concerned.

"More surprised than anything. You're still a good boy," said Xion sighing.

Homura perked up, pleased that he hadn't offended her.

"You know what this means don't you?" said Hermione.

"What?" asked Xion.

"You have another source of information. In his cuter form, he can follow anyone and no one will bother to bat an eye at his presence. By now everyone just ignores him outside of petting him a little. He can ferret out rumors without alerting suspicion. Besides, can you imagine Hades' reaction when he realizes how valuable a dog he's lost? I bet it took _centuries_ for Cerberus to become strong enough to do even a fraction of the things he can, and he has to start over from scratch," said Hermione evilly.

"Oh god, you're right. Too bad we can't rub it in his face without having to deal with a pissy god for it," said Xion cackling.

Homura shifted into his "cuddly" form, so he could sit on Xion's lap. He liked being a lapdog.

The months seemed to fly by until it was time for the Yule Ball.

Hermione was pleasantly surprised when her parents gave her permission to get her ears pierced. Probably because she asked.

In the spirit of Christmas, Xion scheduled for them to have it done before the holidays so they could enjoy their new additions before the ball.

Xion had her playlist ready for the ball, and they had set up a digital music player so that she could take a break, since she was still the only person who could play at all. If that didn't work, well, Demyx was going to be there anyway. He could play a few songs so Tania could enjoy the ball as well.

"So what are you going to open up the ball with?"

Tania grinned.

"The dance song from _Beauty and the Beast_ ," said Tania.

"Appropriate."

"And that way we won't waste an enforced lesson on how to waltz. I also plan to play the tango for the more adventurous students," said Tania grinning.

"What do you mean waste a lesson?"

"They want me to open up with the waltz, despite the fact that the first dance is _only_ for Champions. By that reasoning, only the Champions will be allowed to waltz, as I refuse to replay a song. The song from _Beauty and the Beast_ , however, is similar enough that it'll take forever for the teachers to catch on and short enough that everyone can get to dancing and eating much sooner. Again, they want to force us to learn how to waltz, and if I play that first then the lessons are pointless."

"Who's your date?"

Tania snickered.

"The _second_ the dance was announced, he became the first boy to ask out a girl in the school. He really doesn't want to be swamped by his fan club."

"Lucky. Wonder if anyone interesting will ask me out," said Hannah wistfully.

"I also have it on good authority that Naminé is also going to dance with Sky, because she doesn't like any of the candidates in the dating pool. It's not against the rules, and she's going to use the illusion magics Professor Flitwick has been showing her to make the dance into a rave once Shadow gets his paws on my laptop," said Tania.

"I'm surprised you're not planning to do the theme songs from _Kingdom Hearts._ Especially since they made one for Xion," said Hermione.

"Themes? What themes?"

"Where's your laptop?"

Ten minutes later Tania was hooked, and already planning to practice the theme songs Hermione showed her on YouTube.

"What's that you got there?" asked Roxas.

"Theme songs. Apparently there's one for all of us," said Tania amused.

"Theme songs?" repeated Axel incredulous.

She handed everyone a paper.

"Seriously?" asked Aqua.

"Wait until I play them. Been practicing all night and some of yesterday."

She started off with Roxas' theme, followed by Aqua's.

"I can't believe we have our own theme songs," said Axel, beyond pleased.

"And I'm going to be playing them at the ball, with Namine's help. We're going to make that the _highlight_ of the entire thing."

"This is going to be fun."

"Not as fun as dragging Master Aqua to the fairies so she's properly attired for the dance. You too Axel," said Tania impishly.

"Wait, what?!"

"Oh no, you're not dragging me anywhere! I've seen you powershop!" said Axel emphatically.

"Have you _seen_ the formal robes in this place? Trust me, you'll be thanking me for dumping you both somewhere you can get _real_ formal dancing attire."

Axel made a face. She did have a point there...

"Just wait until the ball. I guarantee everyone is going to be blown away by the music selection~!" said Tania happily. Axel grinned, and ruffled her hair like he used to back in the old days.

"You know...that hair of yours is getting pretty long. It's actually down to your neck!"

"My hair? Have you see Naminé or Luna lately?"

"They're copying you," deadpanned Roxas.

Tania currently had her hair in a loose ponytail, held up by a single pale blue ribbon courtesy of Naminé.

Naminé was going to be helping Tania play during the ball, because some of the songs were pretty hard to play with only one person. So she abused her ability to manipulate memories and learned how to play via Tania's recollection of her lessons. She still missed keys, but she was getting better.

Naminé didn't have the same instinctual muscle memory Tania did from years and years of piano lessons and practicing. Because she had been so empty growing up, Petunia often had her practice to the point she could literally play blindfolded if she knew the score.

Xion took Naminé's hand and laid it on top of her own.

"Like this. Follow my movements and let the music simply flow through you."

Naminé allowed Xion to dictate the flow of music. But the sounds were like nothing she had ever thought she could create. But she could see why Xion enjoyed it so much.

"That's right. Just like this..." said Xion gently.

"Xion, how would you feel if I said I liked Roxas as more than a friend?" asked Naminé.

Xion didn't pause in playing.

"I would say... He's mine first, but I'm not adverse to sharing if it's someone I know and trust."

They already shared a bed anyway. So long as he was Xion's fist, she could care less if Naminé fell for him as well. In this society, it wasn't _that_ uncommon for two women to share the same male. In fact, with the older bloodlines it was encouraged to have a mistress.

"That being said, I'm not sharing him with just anyone."

Naminé giggled.

Xion grinned and impishly changed the selection.

"What's this song called?"

"Naminé's theme. Apparently they created 'theme' songs for all the _Kingdom Hearts_ characters who got more than normal screen time."

Naminé gave her an amused look.

"You're just pleased they voted you best new character in one of the gaming magazines."

"Better believe it!"

 **(A/N: Xion was voted best new character in the 2009 Nintendo Power Awards. Look her up in the KH Wiki if you don't believe me.)**

"Tania, Naminé, Sprout said that if you don't hurry up you'll be late for practice!" said Hermione.

There was a rift between the boys and girls when it came to dance classes. McGonagall taught the boys (her intimidation factor cut into the horseplay), Sprout taught the girls (her matronly attitude encouraged them).

And even though she was the one providing the music to the ball, Tania and Naminé still had to take lessons and dance a little.

"How did I get roped into this?" asked Axel.

"Because you said you've never taken dance lessons, and I refused to dance with you for fear you'd step on my toes repeatedly," deadpanned Aqua. "Not to mention you wear boots more often than not, and for balls the only thing I'd have to protect my poor feet are slippers."

"She has a point," said Xion, snickering.

"You're really awkward with girls, Axel," grinned Roxas.

"No comments from the damn lovebirds!" Axel shot back. "And how the hell did you rope Naminé into that category anyway Roxas?"

"Who said I did it? I blame her," said Roxas.

"What? We've been sharing practically everything else and she had the decency to ask," said Xion amused.

"You do realize that once the boys notice the fact you're dancing with two girls, they're going to be jealous and make noise about you 'cheating' with Tania right?" said Naminé.

"Which is why I'm dancing with her first, then Roxas, then she'll dance with him. If we keep it equal between the three of us, eventually they'll either figure out that she's a satellite member, or I'll straighten them out," said Xion.

"And by straighten out, you mean scare the living hell out of them," said Axel snickering. He had to suddenly break off from the kick to the shin she gave him.

"Need I remind you there's a reason why Roxas fears being alone with Hannah?" she said sweetly. Axel felt a shiver of fear go down his spine.

"You wouldn't."

"Wouldn't I? I'm sure Hannah would _love_ to tell you about what you can do once you and Aqua get intimate eventually. All sorts of positions and _toys_ ," cackled Xion.

Axel paled and Aqua blushed, having been trapped by Hannah (among others of her fellow gossips) in the past.

"You spend far too much time with Narcissa," grumbled Axel.

"Actually that was Andromeda's fault. Her husband's more open minded than Lucius and knows about the internet..." said Naminé.

"That's even worse!" groaned Axel.

"Would you prefer to me to go back to being a puppet?" asked Xion, almost joking.

"No. Never in a million years," said Axel without hesitation.

Xion blinked.

"The way you were before, it was like you were just going through the motions without understanding why. I'd rather deal with the pest who lives to annoy and irritate others today than the girl you were before."

It took her a few moments to realize she was crying. She didn't even know why.

"It's times like this that remind me you're more mature than Lea ever was," deadpanned Aqua.

"Lea?" was the unison response.

"The person Axel was before. Lea is a fire user who once had the potential to use the keyblade, but never bothered to unlock it," explained Aqua.

"Come on, what are the odds of me unlocking a keyblade?" said Axel, joking.

"Have you ever tried?" said Roxas, curious.

"Of course I haven't!" said Axel. "I'm not a keyblade wielder like you guys! It's not like I can just throw my hand out like this and a..."

When Axel threw his left hand out, to the shock of everyone there, a keyblade appeared.

"What..." started Roxas.

"The..." continued Naminé.

"Hell," finished Xion.

"Wait...does that mean Naminé is the only one who can't use a keyblade?" said Roxas.

"I might be able to, since Kairi got hers from Aqua a long time ago, but I never bothered," said Naminé.

"Give it a go then!" said Xion eagerly.

Naminé knew how to summon a keyblade, mostly from Sora. To everyone's shock, she summoned one almost luminescent white in color.

"You know what this means don't you?" said Aqua.

"More training for everyone during the summer?" said Xion.

"That too. But it means we now have _five_ keyblade wielders instead if just three when it comes time to face Xehanort," said Aqua.

"Oh yeah. The more keyblade wielders we have, the better our odds of killing that creep," said Xion, blinking.

"I have a score to settle with that man," said Aqua darkly.

"This might be just a thought...but wasn't there talk about Xehanort before he became Xehanort and how the new game was going to show his younger self?" asked Xion.

"That...is rather terrifying," said Aqua disturbed.

"Doesn't explain why he was so filled with darkness," said Roxas.

"Oh please. _I'm_ filled with darkness and I'm nowhere near as big a jerks as he is," said Xion.

Everyone save Naminé turned to her.

"You're not filled with darkness," said Aqua.

"No, she is. The reason she isn't evil is because of what she was created to do originally. Because Xion was 'born' to become a Replica of Sora, when she fell she retained enough of Sora to remain 'good'. But when she was reborn her power was filled with Darkness to protect her. It's just her heart was originally part of someone who was born to carry the Light, so she's a mixture of both," said Naminé.

"What about Riku?"

"His situation is closer to Terra. He allowed his heart to be swallowed by darkness. As such he'll always be touched by it, but if he works hard he can at least stay in the light," said Naminé.

"Wait... I remember you said something to King Mickey. How where once there were seven, there was now eight."

"But the eighth is an anomaly. Because I am a being of darkness that holds a heart of light," said Xion nodding.

"Which is why she can call forth the hearts of the Nobodies, who are neither good or evil," nodded Naminé.

"This is way too confusing. She's still one of us, so who cares!" said Axel.


	40. The Yule Ball

Tania carefully did up her hair, so that it would look tastefully artistic. She already had her dress on, and she had a pair of comfortable slippers nearby. With a quick twist, she was able to pin her hair up so it didn't get in her face. Then she put in the hair ornament she found at the store where she bought her new necklace

She put in her earrings, which were really stylized versions of the symbol for "Nobody".

That done, she slid on her gloves with practiced ease. It felt weird not wearing them.

She checked herself in the full body mirror in the room, and nodded. This was what she wanted to look like. It was so great that Naminé had learned how to draw using pencils, which made the pictures more clear and refined.

"Done yet?" asked an amused Hermione.

"Your turn, Mione!" said Tania happily.

They had a few hours before the ball began, and Xion had to go inside early to set up the music. After all, she was the one providing the music.

"Tania, Professor Flitwick said you should make some final adjustments now before the ball starts," said Hannah.

"I made them yesterday and put a double age line around them. The piano and the laptop should be fine," said Tania. "Besides, if worse came to worst I'll just borrow the piano I stole from Castle Oblivion."

Hermione was reassured by that. That piano was at least tuned properly.

"Is everyone situated here?"

She got a chorus of "Yes!" from most of the girls.

"Then I'll go make sure the music and light selection is prepared."

Tania passed by Naminé, who grinned and waved at her.

"Well at least we'll match," she said dryly. Namine's dress was a much sleeker version of the one she was wearing, right down to the colors. Unlike Tania, Naminé had hearts in her ears rather than the symbol for Nobody.

* * *

 _A floor down..._

Tania passed by the group she had hand picked from the choir to do the vocals for certain songs.

She could hear them practicing...because they agreed to do " _Beauty and the Beast"_ to start off the ball, they were rehearsing that song first.

She clapped, gaining their attention.

"Alright everyone, go get ready. The ball will begin in two hours, and I've convinced the professors to let me bring in special treats for the ball. Expect ice cream at the very least."

With a loud cheer, everyone dispersed to get dressed and ready.

* * *

Roxas looked nervous, but managed to keep from fiddling with his tie yet again. For the fifth time.

"Would you relax already. You're making me edgy and my girl is far more even tempered than yours is," said Axel.

"It's just... I've never danced before."

Axel snorted.

"At least you were spared from having to listen to the rants of that old cat. Beast didn't mind teaching you how to dance _properly_ when we asked."

It was less of them asking and more that they offered Beast a proper date with Belle that included meeting people who would recognize him (despite being furry) on sight...and actually LIKED him.

Axel snickered, remembering a particularly humorous incident with Triton when Tania visited Atlantica right around the time Sora and the others were there.

"What's so funny?"

"Remembering Xion telling Triton how to handle his teenage daughter and eventually tricking him into accepting the inevitable."

"This I have to hear," said Roxas grinning. If only to alleviate his nerves.

"Here's what happened..." said Axel grinning.

 _Flashback..._

Xion was in a very, very good mood, and Luna looked very much in her element as they swam around in fins. Sure having sea shells in the form of tops was a bit embarrassing, but at least they covered enough.

Hearing the boys behind struggle to learn how to swim with fins (the girls had visited previously with Hermione) they smirked and swam on ahead.

Axel looked distinctly out of his element, which was natural since he used fire.

"Why am I stuck as a _merman_ again?" he complained.

"Because we wanted to see what sort of fish you'd turn into," said Naminé laughing. She looked so much happier around Xion.

His fins were bright red, and had gold patterns that made it look like flames. Though they had more in line with a dolphin than most.

Xion had amethyst purple with sapphire blue patterns that looked like her favorite sea shell in the shape of a star. She also had a sea shell head band holding back her naturally long hair that had grown past her neck and was now a few inches down her shoulder. She had taken to wearing it in a braid to keep it out of her eyes, since she didn't feel like cutting it.

Luna had silver and blue scales, and they were in rather hypnotizing patterns that made people loopy if they stared too long at them.

Naminé had bright white scales that looked like she was her own canvas. However if one were to look more closely you'd see that the patterns were always changing depending on the way the light hit them. Almost prismatic in the way they reflected it. The one time she tried going to the surface to see what they looked light under proper lighting, she had accidentally blinded a sailor and nearly crashed a ship.

Needless to say she had avoided direct sunlight, as she had been blinded as well and it was only because she slid off the rock in surprise that the ship had been spared.

"What's the real reason?"

"Annoying Ursula," said Luna in a sing song voice.

"Oh. In that case count me in as long as we have calamari after," said Axel viciously.

Xemnas had been an ass one month and forced him to spy on Ursula for a week. The damn squid (octopus...whatever the hell she was) had sent her electric eels after him the minute she found out about it.

Needless to say Axel developed a fierce hatred of the things and generally got a craving for calamari or other related foods if he was reminded of that old hag. He generally pretended he was biting her fat head off.

"So how are we going to annoy the old hag?" asked Axel eagerly.

"Long story short we're helping Ariel get her prince without nearly as much drama," said Xion.

"Lead on. It'll be funny to see how this plays out," said Axel.

 _Some time later..._

Seeing Triton about to destroy Ariel's little hideaway, Xion acted fast. She put two fingers to her mouth (causing those that knew her to cover their ears) and blew as loud and shrilly as she could. The sound gave Triton and Ariel headaches.

"That is enough out of you two! Both of you are overreacting!" said Xion in a firm tone that brooked no arguments. It was the same one she used to chastise Lucius and the Weasleys a few years ago.

Narcissa called it the "Black's Authoritative voice". Back when they were still among the druids (and later the Romans), it was the same tone used to bring the unruly in line. When used by someone who had a natural charisma to go with it, it tended to make even kings listen to what was being said.

And Xion had it. And right now she was in full "listen to me or else" mode.

"King Triton, exactly how many daughters do you have?" asked Xion in her most sensible voice.

"Seven, Ariel is the youngest," he replied, confused why she needed to ask.

"And she's about fifteen or sixteen in human terms, correct?" said Xion.

Triton nodded, again confused what she was getting at.

"So if all your daughters are at least out of their teen years, then how is it that you don't recognize that Ariel might simply be going through what it colloquially called a 'phase' in which she might grow out of?" said Xion, her hands on her hips.

Triton blinked, then gave an obvious look around at the rather large hoard...er, collection.

"I meant the prince, not the fact she has either a fascination with land items or a hoarding problem," deadpanned Xion. Because really, some of the things here did make Ariel look something like a hoarder.

Ariel gave Xion a flat look, not appreciating the way she phrased that.

"And what do you suggest? I refuse to allow her to fall for a landsman!" said Triton irate.

"Humans aren't the most tolerant of new things, I'll admit that. But you are a king, and therefor used to making compromises, correct?" said Xion.

"What are you getting at girl?" said Sebastian annoyed.

"An arrangement that has a chance to keep Triton from alienating his youngest daughter. Worst case scenario she ends up with a broken heart but learns her lesson...or you end up with a prince for a son-in-law," said Xion flatly.

Triton puffed up in anger at the thought of a _human_ hurting his favorite daughter.

"Here's the deal. Allow Ariel to spend a maximum of one month at least getting to know this prince she's fallen for. She has to stay human for the entire time, experiencing all the same things they do. However, in exchange she has to agree not to collect any more items from the surface world for a year, and she has to clear out most of her collection save for a small number of items."

"And how does this help my preference to keep Ariel from falling for a landsman?" said Triton.

"She barely knows him. Perhaps being allowed to learn more about him will cause her to realize she prefers the simplicity of being a mermaid compared to the headaches of being a human princess. Or perhaps he's not as nice as she's been lead to believe. She's a teenager. They fall in and out of love all the time," said Xion.

Triton started to cool off, realizing she had a point. For all he knew this could be a silly crush that would go away eventually. One they could laugh about when Ariel was old enough to realize he was right.

Sora and the others stared in amazement.

"How did you _do_ that? Convince the king to at least let Ariel meet the prince?" said Sora in disbelief.

Xion rolled her eyes.

"Sora, _I'm_ a teenage girl. Last year in school most of the girls in my class had this stupid crush on a teacher that wasn't very good, all because he 'looked' cute in their eyes. Once they found out what he was really like, they dropped him and moved on to the next boy that had caught their eye that generally looked 'cute'. Ariel isn't that much older than I am, and at that age hormones generally dictate how you think until the late twenties or early thirties. Ergo, this might all be a simple crush that could be blown out of proportion because Triton is overprotective of his youngest daughter."

The boys were stunned at how efficiently she had talked the king down from destroying Ariel's entire collection. Sure, she had to throw out some of her things in exchange for Xion's idea, but she considered it a small price to pay to get her father's blessing.

Even if she didn't like the addendum Triton added. If she came back and abandoned her 'legs' before the month was out, she was never allowed to visit the humans again. She either stuck it out the entire month as a human, or stayed a mermaid forever.

If she could handle meeting this "Prince Eric" and they did fall in love (and if the Prince's parents agreed to it), then Triton _might_ give her his blessing in marrying him. If she couldn't, well, then at least he wouldn't come out of this mess as the bad guy to his favorite daughter.

Though truth be told the fact that Ariel might very well go to Ursula had been the _main_ reason he agreed Xion's compromise had merit. Crush or not, the last _thing_ he wanted his daughter near was Ursula, who would manipulate his daughter into trying to steal the trident.

Donald was more than impressed at how Xion had come up with a solution to this mess without once threatening the world order.

Axel was trying very hard not to laugh at the fact that the king of the seas just got told off by a thirteen year old girl who only used common sense.

 _Flashback end..._

Roxas was chortling.

"She really told King Triton off about Ariel's weird collection?"

"And with the way the agreement was set, Ariel ended up marrying Eric with _both_ parent's blessings. In exchange for ignoring the fact their daughter-in-law is a mermaid princess, Triton gives them calm seas to sail on for as long as Ariel is married to their son. He won't help them in any wars, but they'll never worry about their boats sinking because of a storm or waves," said Axel.

Needless to say the now retired King and Queen were more than happy with the arrangement, no matter how unusual the fact that they now had a mermaid in the royal family.

Best of all, Triton's relationship with Ariel was never better, because he at least let her make her own mistakes.

Even if that month as a human had been _very_ awkward for both parties. Mostly because Eric had to explain what common things were to Ariel...like forks.

Hearing the loud chime from the massive clock, Axel grinned and slapped Roxas on the back.

"Well champ, go see your girlfriend all dolled up. I have it on good authority that Shadow is going to act as DJ so she can dance with you."

Roxas gulped. And there was that nervousness again.

* * *

Roxas was waiting with the other boys for their dates to arrive. There was a large curtain hiding the piano, where Tania and the choir was. The hall doors opened, revealing the three champions with their dates. Hermione had been selected as Krum's partner, to her delight.

The lights dimmed, before three 'spotlights' turned on. One was focused on the floor where the champions would dance, one was on the choir, and the third was on the players. Tania and Demyx... Shadow would be using the piano as his 'booth' with the keys covered up since it was the perfect height.

With all three pairs on the floor, Tania began to play the familiar melody to all Disney fans. The choir even sang the lyrics in perfect harmony as accompaniment.

McGonagall gave Tania the stink eye, but it was clear the students loved the song and found it the perfect opening. She had wanted the ball opened with a waltz, as was tradition.

With the last note played, Tania smoothly switched over to another song. Roxas' theme, which had more students slowly moving to the center now that the floor was opened up.

Three songs in, and Tania got to the one song she was particularly eager to play. The choir would be singing _with_ her on this one.

" _Is this the end of my existence?_

 _What will become of me now?_

 _Memories of me are fading away_

 _Of times we spent together_

 _But as I lie in your warm embrace it's hard to be afraid_

 _For I know my sacrifice is keeping you alive_

 _I am going back to where I belong_

 _I wish I could go backwards in time_

 _Just to see your smile again_

 _All those happy times_

 _Feel like a dream_

 _Why could they not last?_

 _The love you gave means so much to me_

 _I will always remember_

 _Though I know you'll forget me this thing I'll surely promise you_

 _Those memories of you and me will live on in him_

 _Someday I know you'll see me again_

 _So please do not cry for me_

 _I will always be inside your heart_

 _Watching over you_

 _You know you're both my very best friends_

 _Just that, please don't forget it."_

 **(Lyrics to Xion's theme song from _Kingdom Hearts_. The second I found out about it, I had to use it here.)**

Xion noted that there were a few who had dry eyes, most of which were part of Dumbledore's group. His die hard supporters.

Many of the pure bloods assumed that the song was for her parents, Lily and James. Most of the muggleborns who played the games (or at least the DS version) recognized the theme song pretty quick.

And no, Hermione didn't miss the irony of Xion singing her own theme song.

* * *

Tania grinned at the fact that her 'extras' were not missed by the muggleborns. The second they realized Beast _and_ Belle were there as well (they had loved hearing their song played) they had swarmed the two.

Beast in particular was pretty happy that the children didn't even notice his furry appearance (though they kept most of the teachers in the dark about them being there, save for those firmly in Tania's camp like Flitwick and Sprout) and even asked him for autographs. Even Lumiere had fans, to his delight.

She didn't even realize that most eyes were on here when she danced with Roxas in perfect harmony to yet another _Kingdom Hearts_ piano song played by Shadow, or the fact that the impish Moogle was playing the "theme" of the Organization as a joke on them both. Naminé danced with Roxas while _her_ theme was played (again as a joke by Shadow), and Tania made it clear she was accepting the blond's presence into her relationship with Roxas by dancing with her. It didn't take much for the pure bloods to cotton on to the fact that "Windheart" now had two girlfriends, or to guess which role Naminé would have once they graduated.

Tania was too dominant to be anything but the wife.

Needless to say quite a few of the boys were now even more jealous of Roxas, to her amusement.


	41. Dealing with Voldemort and Hades

The ball was an unbelievable success. And the fallout from the inclusion of Naminé into the "Hogwarts Power Couple" of Slytherin and Gryffindor was relatively minor. Since Tania made it clear she was willing to share with her fellow Hufflepuff (as well as making it clear she would put any _more_ additions under such intense scrutiny they might as well give up...) no one dared voice a single protest.

Though Dumbledore seemed to get the implied challenge Tania was giving when she started playing "Angel of Darkness" and singing the lyrics to it while glaring at him.

She had to admit though, it was hilarious seeing the _look_ on his face when Ariel and her daughter showed up to say hello to Tania and Luna.

Apparently the title "King of the Seas" didn't just apply to Atlantica, but to ALL the waters connected to the sea. Triton had heard about the task from the local mermaids and apparently guessed which world Xion was based on, because he brought his daughter and granddaughter for a visit. (And the offer of relocation to Atlantica for the local mermaids, who were tired of the Ministry.)

Naturally every girl there had to get Ariel's autograph once they realized who she was.

They had long since figured out after Beast that Tania had _connections_ to Disney characters, though they had no idea why. They didn't care so long as they kept showing up.

Seeing Triton basically telling the Ministry where to stuff their wands when he announced that the local mermaids were moving had Tania (and many others) in stitches.

* * *

Xion stared. She couldn't help it.

"Please tell me I am hallucinating," she said to Roxas.

"No, I'm seeing him too. Ah, looks like he spotted me and is doing his own doubletake," said Roxas.

"That's it, I'm summoning the others just to confirm," said Xion pinching the bridge of her nose.

She sent out an orb, causing the figure to tense, before twin corridors appeared.

"What's up? Holy crap, is that..."

"Zexion," said Axel, grinning.

Zexion, number 06, the Cloaked Schemer, was staring at the group.

"...Axel, Demyx, Roxas?" he said carefully.

"Naminé is here too," said Xion helpfully.

"Right. I'm not _nearly_ drunk enough for this to be a hallucination," he deadpanned.

"How'd you get here? Didn't you die or something?" said Demyx tactlessly.

"I could say the same to you. As for why I'm at this blasted school, blame Krum. His father is my sponsor," said Zexion.

"Sponsor?" repeated Roxas blankly.

"It means I have to at least make appearances with the family, partly to show my research but mostly to show my support for his heir during contests. I get free tickets to Quidditch all the time," said Zexion blithely.

"...I have a massive magical library and more money and influence than I know what to do with, as well as the support of all the lesser Nobodies since a massive Phoenix Nobody kicked Maleficent out," said Xion.

"She took over the neighboring castle next to the school."

"We know. Krum hired us to get rid of her or at least give her reason to move somewhere else," said Roxas.

Zexion gave them all a look.

"Can I move back to the Castle? Don't get me wrong, I like it here, but my roommates snore and it's getting irritating having to listen to potion explosions while trying to read."

"Did you ever like Xemnas?"

"He was an ass."

"Then you're welcome to come home," said Xion.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but why is it I can't remember who you are, but I recognize you as one of us?" he asked finally.

Xion grabbed his hand, giving him a heart and unlocking his memories of her at the same time.

"Oh. Welcome back I guess."

Xion grinned.

"Shouldn't I be saying that to you?"

"I'll go move my stuff back in. Anything I should be worried about?"

"She has a basilisk guarding the lower reaches, and she stole Hades' dog who occasionally runs around in the World That Never Was chasing the heartless. Though recently he's turned himself into a puffball that follows Xion around," Axel warned him.

"...I would say that's impossible, but she just gave my heart a boost to form properly without Kingdom Hearts, and that should be impossible too."

Zexion borrowed Axel's cloak, then promptly started abusing the corridor to move his things back into HIS room in the castle. Following Xion was a small price to pay to not have to listen to the damn explosions anymore.

Or if he did hear them, then at least the sound wards kept them muffled to the point he could ignore them.

It was good to be home again.

* * *

 _Back in Hogwarts..._

"You know at this rate I'm beginning to wonder if there aren't any others scattered around hiding on Lost Avalon," said Axel.

"I've got free time," said Demyx. Then he made a face... "But if I see the Nymph I am not inviting her."

"Don't worry about that. I'm the one who got rid of her before Sora woke up. If they were alive Xemnas would have made me finish the job," said Axel.

"So do we want Vexen's Replica or his friend to come back?" asked Roxas.

"No. But we can keep an eye out for any others. If we find Luxord, we can just dump him in Atlantic city or Vegas," deadpanned Xion.

Axel started snickering.

"Oh that is perfect. Have him on permanent cash detail and then have him convert it all to gold and silver to increase the funds of the group. He'd never try to betray you because those places are like heaven to guys like him!" he laughed.

"I thought you'd enjoy that. But mostly it's to increase our funding and so Shadow never has to worry about overpricing his wares to the students and the school again just to afford repairs to his ship," grinned Xion.

Shadow was an Apothecary Moogle, meaning he had a bit of larceny in his soul. And it wasn't like these people knew the real price of the things he was selling. He was able to stock Xion and her group with potions practically for free because he made such good business selling his wares practically _double_ or even TRIPLE what they were actually worth in the outer worlds. Once Lost Avalon was connected, he'd go back to the normal prices.

And yes, he did have a habit of rubbing his paws in a greedy manner that wouldn't look out of place on Scrooge McDuck himself after big orders.

"Oh yeah... did any of you remember to warn him about the ice cream in the freezer?" said Roxas.

Axel blinked, before he looked at Xion and paled rather admirably.

"Demyx, go warn him before he accidentally finds her stash and eats some of it," said Axel without hesitation.

It was a testament to how horrifying Xion was during that time of the month (and having to deal with puberty at the same time) that he nodded and practically ran like Homura was after his ass again with fireballs for yet another bath.

He didn't really _need_ flea baths anymore now that he could take human form (courtesy of Xion telling him to take a shower or else) but there were times when Demyx would be practicing his attacks and would accidentally get Homura wet. And he _hated_ being wet because he was a fire-type Cerberus. That, and Demyx generally had a habit of practicing in areas where he could pull larger amounts of water than normal, and that meant he was around _salt water_ nine times out of ten.

The only person allowed to dip into her stash of sea salt ice cream was Roxas, and that was rarely. She had blasted him a few times with the level one magics (she generally started a level two for everyone else) for eating her ice cream.

Usually that only happened if he had eaten the last bar.

Demyx managed to find him in time before he reached the fridge and found the ice cream. Having to explain (rather emphatically) about how badly Xion reacted to people eating HER clearly labeled ice cream (it had "XIV" written on the little door she had Shadow install in the fridge) was the best warning he was going to get about the matter.

If he ate any after being warned, then it wasn't their problem.

* * *

 _Back at the third task..._

Tania got bored after the last Champion went in, and decided to leave. It was clear that they would be waiting without being able to see anything, so there was no reason to stick around.

So naturally she decided to take Homura on a walk. He mostly stuck to his "puffball of doom" form (thank you Axel for the nickname) and cheerfully wore his collar.

She had once asked her dog how it was he had THREE forms... while he was disguised in his human form... and he had explained about how all Cerberus of his breed once they reached a certain age could do it. But they were limited to three, unless they wanted to get stuck in a form not their own for attempting to turn into a fourth.

Homura hadn't bothered to use any of them save for his true form while he was Hades' dog. There wasn't any real need, and after a certain point his cover would have been blown anyway. But the point was that because he was a CERBERUS, and therefor had three independent heads, he could turn into three different things. One of which had to always _remember_ what they actually were and never attempt to shapeshift beyond returning to their original state of a massive three headed dog, or else they ran the risk of being _stuck like that._

So Homura never bothered to learn until he got a better Master, as Hagrid had liked him more as a massive three headed beast willing to eat people than anything else.

Eventually he got tired of walking and jumped into Tania's usual carry bag that she had started to take with her everywhere (having mastered the Corridor to grab certain items simply by putting her hand through it) to take a nap.

Hence why he was rudely awakened when some insensitive and idiotic person used a portkey to steal Tania out of the school. They ignored the bag after removing her wand from her, and thus left a rather protective Cerberus free to rescue his Master.

Tania didn't know what the guy who looked far too much like the Eleventh Doctor (she was a _Doctor Who_ fan, enough said) to be a coincidence. All she knew was that the second she saw the rather sharp knife about to cut her (or torture her) she had enough. She whistled sharply, and was rewarded with the loud and rather pointed growled of a full grown Cerberus looking rather pissed.

"Homura, get them!"

What happened next only reminded her rather pointedly that this was originally Hades' dog. The fireballs he was launched at a hilariously outclassed shade of Voldemort (who could barely crawl) were bigger than most cars, and that was his _low_ setting.

Homura was a "Volcano" class Cerberus, admittedly one of the rarest and most dangerous breeds in existence. They thrived in conditions most creatures, even dragons, couldn't stand for five, seconds much less five minutes.

Fortunately they tended to stick to their territories and only idiots tried to bother them.

Xion believed the only reason Hades had one was because he was immortal.

Homura grabbed the wizard with the knife, and held him at eye level for her.

"Here's how it's going to go. You're going to summon the idiots who didn't get the memo or believe in Riddle's crap. I'm going to have Homura eat them all. Then I'm going to drag Riddle to Hades and enjoy not having to deal with his tantrums," said Xion in a flat voice.

Seeing she had absolutely no remorse for him, he sweated.

"Now, how does 'Voldemort' summon his minions?"

The amount of information she got was more than sufficient. She'd summon all the idiots, filter out which ones were willing to follow her lead, or were going to die.

She did not want to come back here to clean up after Voldemort's mess, and if that meant turning people into heartless, so be it.

She allowed Voldemort to complete his little ritual, bringing him back. Then she made him summon _all_ his Death Eaters.

Lucius took one look at Tania, then at his former lord, and guessed what this is about.

"Cleaning house?" he asked carefully.

"There's no room for two 'heirs' of Slytherin, especially not a fake," she said simply. She summoned her Keyblade, making sure everyone got a good look at it. "Here's how it's going to go down. Those of you that follow me, you're free to return home. Those that believe in Voldemort's nonsense, well, I'm sure my dog will enjoy chasing you around _my_ world."

The flat tone as she said that spoke volumes about how serious she was.

Those that followed her, like Lucius, apparated back to where they came from and made excuses about where they were. Or explained it to their friends.

However those that did follow Voldemort, like Barty Crouch, found themselves stuck.

Xion smirked. It was not nice and full of her Black heritage.

"Oh good. They're going to have some fun for a while now. Now to deal with the idiots who will not be causing me trouble while Homura delivers _you_ to Hades," said Xion to Voldemort. He winced. Hades would be more pissed about his defiance of his rule than he would the fact Xion had his dog.

"Get them."

Silver figures grabbed those that believed in what Voldemort was preaching, and started taking them away. They had been bored, and anyone stupid enough to piss off THEIR Princess deserved to be hunted by the Dusks and a hungry Cerberus.

Or if she was really vindictive, her pet basilisk.

* * *

Hades looked up to find a Nobody with _HIS_ guard dog.

"What do you want?"

"I'm here to make your days a little less boring," said the small Nobody cheerfully.

"Unless you're here to return MY dog, get lost," he snarled.

"Not even if I'm here to make a delivery of something that will certainly give you a reason to reopen the Underdrome so you can play with him and all the idiots who follow him? One even Zeus won't bitch about?"

"...Go on."

"I give you the self styled Lord Voldemort, aka Tom Marvolo Riddle. Take a good long look at the state of his soul."

Hades did, and once he realized what he was looking at he went from pissed to pensive.

"You're giving this _thing_ to me, why?"

"Well you seemed like the one who'd enjoy playing with him the most, and it'll give you a valid reason to open the Underdome which even Zeus will have no grounds to complain about. By the laws of magic anyone who allows themselves to be magically branded is considered an extension of the owner. And his followers have a rather tacky tattoo which he uses to summon them with. Ergo, you'll have about fifty or sixty men and women to 'play' with using your beasts."

"Only fifty or sixty?"

"The smarter ones switched sides and had the brand removed already thanks to Merlin. Or replaced, for the more binding ones."

"Not my problem then," said Hades cheerfully. "And my guard dog?"

"You'll have to talk to him about that?"

Hades took one look at his former dog, who promptly turned into a human, then at her. He _thought_ that dog was too strong to be normal. Never proved it though.

"Tell my new one how things work and I'll ignore it when you come here," he deadpanned.

"Deal," said Homura equally deadpan.


	42. Dealing with Maleficent

Tania's return was met with fanfare...but that was because the entire thing took like, two hours and everyone was more focused on the Champions than on a missing student.

Well, almost everyone.

"Where were you?" said Axel.

"Voldemort. He used me in some sort of resurrection ritual, but Homura and I dealt with him and any remnants stupid enough to believe him. Hades has them and their souls are going straight to him and not Kingdom Hearts," said Xion flatly.

"So what now?"

"Now we're going to have Snape play the next move. Only the headmaster could have lowered the wards for a portkey to work, which meant he just tried to kill me indirectly. Now it's my turn," said Tania grimly.

She didn't kill. It had been Homura who ate the really stubborn ones. But she had no issues with delivering murderers to their just desserts.

* * *

It was time to whittle down Dumbledore's staunchest supporters, or at least have them removed.

Sirius didn't like it, but at least they were able to make it _look_ like the house hadn't been cleared out in record time. Kreacher had died a few months back, mostly from old age, and Winky had taken over as the Black house elf. Dobby had recommended her.

Tania's move was pretty simple, yet effective.

Snape had felt the summons, but held off to keep his cover. He had been too public after all.

So when he was shown by Xion exactly where Voldemort and the rest of his soul was, he agreed to keep up the ruse. It wasn't like Dumbledore knew that most of the more 'public' Death Eaters had switched sides just yet after all.

Snape claimed Voldemort was back, 'confirmed' it with a now visible Dark Mark, and watched as Dumbledore summoned his supporters to reform the Order of the Phoenix. Now without a phoenix.

She was patient. She had more cunning than Slytherin had before she took over. She was also very well aware that for some inane reason Molly was now living in the house because of her status as a pariah.

Dumbledore had put a lot of effort in to keep her out of jail, but he could do nothing about her being cast out of the pure blood society without a last name. Bill took over the Weasley line, Charlie sportingly agreed to take over for the Prewitt family, and together they succinctly removed their mother permanently out of their lives. After Bill had told Charlie what was really going on, they had moved as far away as possible to insure she didn't repeat her stunt with their unfortunate father.

Arthur was still a Weasley, but he was currently touring America to learn more about muggles hands on with his son's blessing. Mostly because he quit his job after finding out how much damage his wife had done.

Those that followed Tania Potter-Black knew to avoid the house when the time came. They were discreetly informed of the date and time, then sworn to secrecy with the same charm supposed to keep the house safe.

When the house was full (Dumbledore was late) Xion struck.

Zexion was more than happy to make it look like Death Eaters had invaded the house, and with Moody detained by Bones, there was no way for them to know it was all an illusion.

There was panic. There was chaos. There were spells flying everywhere.

Friend hit friend, as stunners and other spells flew wide. When it settled down, Xion was ready.

By morning the next day Dumbledore was scrambling to find out what happened and release his Order.

He was unaware of the fact Xion had set the entire thing up as "Dumbledore gathering a secret army to overthrow the Minister".

Hogwarts was now thrown into suspicion, and Fudge was doing everything he could to distance himself from Dumbledore.

Meanwhile Xion was currently busy in Bulgaria.

* * *

 _In Bulgaria..._

"Is it sad that we keep evicting her from her home?" said Roxas.

"No," said Xion without any hesitation. "She does it to everyone else, and she's more of a public nuisance than anything. If she found a world that wasn't already inhabited to play with her heartless, then she could stay there, but this is _our_ turf. Not to mention she tried to take MY castle, which is unacceptable."

"True. How did Leon and the others react when you told them why you were bringing them here?"

"He couldn't volunteer fast enough," smirked Xion.

Leon, Yuffie, Aerith, Cloud and Tifa had all volunteered the second they were asked if they wanted to evict Maleficent in the most painful way they could pull off. Sure they would mostly help clear out the heartless, but the fact they had been asked to inconvenience the woman who kicked _them_ out of their world had been more than enough.

"So are we ready?" said Aqua.

The Keyblade Wielders all nodded. There were five of them and only Maleficent was the real threat. Luna, Shadow and Hermione would deal with anything Pete threw at them before going back to the front lines to clear out the heartless infestation.

Naminé, Xion and Aqua would act as the long distance attacks while Roxas and Axel would go in for close range.

Meanwhile Demyx and Zexion would be on the front lines with Leon and the others, commanding the lesser Nobodies. It wasn't going to last more than a day or so, not with all the backup they had.

"Well everyone, time to clean house again~!" said Xion far too cheerfully.

 _Five hours later..._

Xion couldn't help it, she was laughing too hard. So much so that she was _literally_ rolling on the floor laughing her ass off. And she wasn't the only one. Naminé, Hermione, Shadow, Luna and Roxas were laughing pretty hard too.

Why?

Pete had taken one look at Aqua, who smiled _nicely_ at him, and had pissed himself in fear before high-tailing it through the corridor as fast as he could. Which meant Hermione, Luna and Shadow were able to join the front lines almost immediately, once they stopped laughing.

Axel was more exasperated than anything.

"Jeez...and here I thought that making _impressions_ on people was just limited to Xion!" he complained.

Aqua turned and _smiled_ at her boyfriend.

"You have a problem with that?"

"Xion scares me. You just make me sleep on the couch," deadpanned Axel.

"Oh-ho, so you two have already..."

"Yes, and before you say anything Bones and Abbot have already noticed and grilled me extensively on the subject. To say nothing of your Red Mage friend," deadpanned Aqua.

Every eye turned on Hermione, who just looked smug.

"I may or may not have turned the tables on Hannah after the Yule Ball. I couldn't take another girl talk with her misconceptions, and my mother was very thorough when it came to the talk. There were _videos_ , and not the cleaned up version either," said Hermione.

She had gotten over the trauma...mostly because she used the Obliviate on herself to forget what she had seen. She did _not_ need to remember her parent's bedroom activities, thank you very much.

Needless to say it was something Susan would never forget...the bossy bookworm shocking _Hannah_ into silence as she out-perv her best friend.

Hermione was a studious girl. She wasn't oblivious to puberty and what adults did behind closed doors. Far from it...she knew _too much_. She was never one to turn down research, and after realizing her mistake her mother made the same deal Petunia made with Tania when she was twelve.

She wasn't allowed to do anything until sixteen at the very earliest.

So yes, she was able to outdo Hannah when it came to perverted innuendo and ideas.

Shadow, on the other hand, was already accepting munny from Leon and the others.

" _Thank you for your continued patronage, kupo!"_ he said pleased.

"You're almost as bad as Cid," complained Leon.

" _Cid wouldn't give you a battlefield discount, kupo,"_ said Shadow. Aerith snickered.

Shadow had been selling potions, ethers and other potions like hotcakes to everyone fighting, in between blasts of magic.

Sure, his pom pom got ruffled a few times by a heartless trying to cave his head in, but the adrenaline rush and the amount of cash he made off of the fighters more than made up for it.

"So how many 'former' members do you have now?" asked Yuffie.

"Five," said Xion. "If you include me in that number anyway. I'm surprised that Zexion and Demyx survived."

Leon smirked.

"I'm glad you thought to ask us in making Maleficent's life harder. Did Pete really turn tail and book when he saw Master Aqua?"

"I apparently made an...impression...on him the one time he interrupted my date with my boyfriend," said Aqua pleasantly.

Leon shuddered at the look on her face, but the girls all smirked.

"You so have to teach me how to do that," said Yuffie.

"Oh I'll do you one better. I'll introduce you to my friends Susan and Hannah. Hannah made Roxas _terrified_ of girl talk, and my cousin Narcissa taught me most of the ways to smile and makes boys run in fear when it's aimed at them," said Xion smugly.

Now it was Axel's turn to shudder.

"Please don't. It's bad enough Narcissa infected you with her evil ways. It would be a crime against the universe at large if there were more like her," said Axel.

"I'll be sure to tell her you said that. Now that we've dealt with the public nuisance, shall we go get our payment tomorrow?"

"What did they pay you?"

"A free tour of the nearby magic school, and the agreement to become allies against kicking out another public nuisance," said Xion.

"Count me in!" said an enthusiastic Yuffie.

"That reminds me. My sister said she's highly interested in learning some of your 'mad ninja skills' when she found out I was becoming a red mage."

"Oho, an apprentice?"

"Juliette was pretty miffed finding out she didn't have magic like I do, but once she found out that the job classes from her favorite series were real she was pretty quick to settle on being a ninja," said Hermione with a straight face.

Yuffie looked excited at the prospect of having someone to train. Leon had made fun of her for wanting to learn how to fight like a ninja, even if it meant saving up to pay Cid for her weapons. So having someone else share her love of the older arts was pretty awesome in her opinion.

Hermione was rather amused/smug when Juliette was introduced to Yuffie. Leon wasn't the only one grimacing once they started in on the girl talk, and not just about boys either.

Apparently having a kindred spirit only made Yuffie's hobby _worse_. And that was before Tifa found out that Juliette knew martial arts.

It helped the sisters really reconnect, having something to share. So Juliette would be visiting Radiant Garden during her summers (until she was 18 and allowed to live there full time) while their parents went on an extended vacation alone.

Her mother made no promises about her children getting a younger brother or sister over the holidays.

Needless to say, both sisters had a shared sense of disgust, as they really didn't need to know about their parent's love lives.

* * *

Xion was cackling, there was no other words for it.

After years of teasing Hermione about Riku being _real_ , she had finally deigned to bring her to Destiny Islands and introduced them. There was no little amount of confusion, as Riku was ironically one of the few who actually _remembered_ Xion, and was in fact easy embarrassed when introduced to someone who was HIS fan and not Sora's.

Sora and his girlfriend Kairi were also snickering, as it was clear Hermione had a familiar deep seated crush on their silver haired friend, who had yet to show any interest in _anyone_. She knew about his mistakes and didn't hold it against him.

She was friends with Xion, for crying out loud. If she was going to hold someone's personal history against them, then she wouldn't be _civil_ with idiots like Draco when he got into one of his snit fits again.

Though to be fair, Narcissa had been more than gleeful in giving Hermione permission to hex the living daylights out of Draco if he pissed her off.

She had been _delighted_ in having more girls to teach. Lucius had avoided her for weeks.

Seeing Riku blush, Xion counted it a personal success. She had introduced Hermione to the boy she had liked for ages, and this was the perfect way of getting back at Riku for the crap he gave her when she was still a Replica.

Nothing says long-term revenge like hooking up a confident (but in reality shy around people) boy with a bossy girl who wasn't afraid to hex their boyfriend if they did something stupid.

Kairi, once she realized the sort of girl Hermione was, had a sort of vindictive grin on her face as well.

"You did this deliberately, didn't you?"

"Absolutely. He was a bit of an ass back in the old days, when he was still doing cloak-and-dagger nonsense, and this is the perfect payback. If he tries to play the bad guy again, she'll straighten him out or else."

"You are evil. I love it! And now I don't have to worry about him stealing my boyfriend away anymore!"

"I wouldn't be too sure about that. Hermione has a yaoi fetish," said Xion snickering.

"What's yaoi?"

"Boy on boy love. Just like they call girl/girl pairings 'Yuri'. You can ask her for more details."

Kairi considered that.

"I do believe I might take you up on that. I only have a few girl friends and they never want to do girl talk," said Kairi.

Xion slung her arm around Kairi's shoulder.

"Let me introduce you to what Axel has flippantly called 'the dark side'. By the time we're through, Sora will learn to fear girl talk as much as his former Nobody Roxas does."

Kairi looked a little evil herself. Princess of the Heart or not, having no darkness in her heart didn't mean she was above being a normal girl.


	43. Enter the Toad

**As promised, I have waited to post this chapter of Memories of Nobody. Happy Birthday, Have a Little Feith!**

* * *

"I heard the Minister is planning to plant one of his own men in the school with the hopes of finding out if the 'gathering army' rumor is true," said Aqua.

"...He does realize that the one doing the gathering is _me_ right, and that I've made no bones about the fact I dislike the headmaster?" said Tania, dodging under another attack.

"He's aware of the fact you've gathered most of the students but he wants to get rid of Dumbledore once and for all since he's making a stink about Voldemort being back. Which means he'll be targeting the teachers more than he will the students."

"While I applaud him taking preemptive measures in dealing with the fake, I don't want to clean up his mess."

"Which is why we're going to prepare for a fight at the end of the year. I have the feeling that the headmaster isn't going to take our actions lying down, and might use this as the perfect opportunity to rid himself of the opposition once and for all."

"So...we're going to up the ante and get him out of Lost Avalon once and for all?" said Xion.

"It's up to you. It _is_ your army after all. Coincidentally you'll be undergoing the Ordinary Wizarding Levels a few months early."

"Good thing my grades are at the top of the class," deadpanned Xion.

"This is serious. If we do this wrong, then the people might turn on us before we expose Dumbledore once and for all," said Aqua.

Xion's face turned serious.

"He's going to leave Lost Avalon one way or another when this year is over. I'm tired of hiding!"

Suddenly Luna ran up to her big sister.

"Xion, Xion, Xion... guess what!"

"You've had too much sugar again?" asked Xion amused.

Luna held up a game disc. Xion groaned, her face in her hand.

"You finally found out about _Final Fantasy X_ and _X-2._ "

"Should I be worried?" asked Aqua.

"One of the main characters in the first one is a Summoner, and in the second one she becomes a famous female singer," deadpanned Xion.

"Ah. I can't sing or dance," said Aqua.

Seeing Luna's pleading expression, Xion sighed.

"Let me find a decent guitar-key and a place that teaches dance before you start making plans. If we're going to replicate Yuna's career as a singer we might as well do it right," sighed Xion.

Luna squealed with unrestrained glee. Xion watched her sister run off to tell Naminé the good news when she turned to an amused Aqua.

"What _is_ a guitar-key?" she asked finally.

"A piano keyboard grafted onto a guitar. Basically. It's supposed to be a more portable version of a piano keyboard. Personally I think someone wanted to inspire the current generation into enjoying the classics more."

"...Where exactly _do_ they sell these instruments?" asked Aqua. Once Xion got used to where the keys were, she'd be a natural at it.

"I know of one world they might sell them. I just hope they take gold."

"Okay why was Luna squealing so loudly and why are all the walls in the castle now techno-colored?" asked Zexion.

"Which do you want answered first?" asked Luna, cocking her head.

"The second one," said Zexion after some deliberation.

"I told Naminé to use the castle as her canvas save for certain areas like the library, the kitchens and the meeting rooms. As for Luna... I told her we could emulate two of the _Final Fantasy_ games provided we took lessons on how to dance something other than the waltz," said Tania.

"Hmm. Think she'd be up to doing the bedrooms for everyone as well? I do get tired of white," said Zexion.

"I heard the word 'painting'. What colors or patterns do you want?"

Naminé had practically _jumped_ at the chance for proper art classes. She had been making monumental strides, and while she did still wear white, it was now liberally dotted with paint splashes.

By June, there was only a few areas in the castle that hadn't been hit with a splash of paint. Considering Tania took the chance to upgrade the furniture and the contents of the library. She also installed a massive speaker system...and soundproofed the rooms so that anyone who wanted peace and quiet could find it.

It was definitely got some use while Tania got used to her new guitar-key...and yes, the world she found did take gold.

* * *

The summer passed almost a little too quickly for Tania, although she thoroughly enjoyed it. In between dance classes (which almost everyone in the castle was dragged into attending), improving her skill with the keyblade, learning real magic (not that fake Latin at the castle) and practicing her guitar-key until she had memorized the positions of the keys almost as well as she did the piano (she could now play a regular piano blindfolded) her summer was quite full.

And that wasn't bringing into account the sheer number of times she babysat for her aunt so that she could go on dates with charming gentlemen who were far more openminded about the world in general (compared to Vernon).

Dudley had already moved into the headquarters of the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee in an effort to get away from his younger brother and sister, who were quickly becoming little terrors in their own right.

He could now walk around proudly without looking like some sort of misshapen pig in a wig. All that fat had turned into _real_ muscles and his bullying behavior was a thing of the past. And while he might be a bit slow at times, he could generally be counted on to make somewhat decent decisions.

He often worked with the construction crew using his weight to move the pulleys around, as he was far more useful than the standard counterweights Cid had to use.

Xion and the girls got some practice as a band (thus putting all the hours as a member of the Music Club to good use) by playing some of the popular songs from different worlds. Their dancing still needed work, but their singing and playing was more than enough to ignore their awkward feet.

Xion was almost disappointed when they had to return to school.

Especially when she found out the Minister's solution to the growing concern of Dumbledore growing a secret army.

Tania took one look at the new "curriculum inspector" and the way she addressed the student body, and started banging her head lightly on the table.

Officially the woman was there to insure that the standards of Hogwarts at it's prime were being kept. She had the power to curtail or abolish classes that were doing more harm than good.

Which meant most of her power lay in controlling the teachers, rather than the students.

Aqua looked openly repulsed by Delores Umbridge. Thank the gods the woman wasn't given a class. Her speech alone would have put the students against her, and she could tell from where she was sitting that Tania had no love for the toad-like woman.

Tania had a rather unpleasant premonition, which was why she made a point to speak with Narcissa, who would tell Lucius and from there to Fudge.

If that odorous woman was given any control over the students outside of taking points, then Fudge was absolutely not getting reelected next term.

* * *

 _One week later..._

Tania was rudely interrupted during the band's practice session (Luna was the lead singer, while Tania was the "lead" guitarist, despite the fact she was playing a guitar-key, and Naminé was in charge of costume coordination.)

Looking to the door, she found the Toad there with a disapproving look on her face.

Likely because their outfits most certainly didn't adhere even the slightest to school regulations. Fortunately it was the weekend, and therefor the regulations were 'lightened' in the sense that they didn't have to wear the stuffy robes (or their Coats) for a full thirty-six hours.

"Is there a problem, _ma'am_?" asked Tania, feigning politeness. Her tone said volumes of her feelings towards Umbridge interrupting their precious practice time.

"I find it rather displeasing that such an upstanding pure blood heir such as yourselves lowering your standards to wear...that."

Luna, Naminé and Tania looked at their outfits out of reflex. They didn't see a problem, outside of the fact that their mid-drifts were exposed by two full inches, save for ribbons tied in tasteful ways around the seams. The skirts were just above the knee, which was a full inch shorter than the regulations mandated for the school skirt. Each of them had different shoes, mostly sandals that didn't leave their poor feet exposed. Warming charms or not, the stone was freezing unless you were wearing socks.

Naminé looked at the woman utterly confused.

"I don't see a problem with our outfits. There are girls who wear much less after school hours," said Naminé. And by that she meant certain American girls who wore almost nothing at all. Their outfits were a bit chilly for the Scottish climate, but they weren't that exposing.

"No problem!? Your skirts show far too much and your shirts aren't neatly tucked in! And your shoes are positively _muggle_ ," said Umbridge in disgust.

Tania's face went completely blank.

"Just so we're clear madam, any attempt to 'confiscate' our 'muggle' clothing will result in absolutely nothing. We haven't used house elves to do our laundry since we mastered house hold charms after the incident first year," said Tania.

"And any attempts to potion us will also result in similar failure. We order out a lot, because the house elves here are under the direct control of the headmaster," added Luna, her eyes looking somewhere up and to the left of the woman's ear.

"Besides, aren't you mainly here to curtail any possible 'army' that the headmaster has been creating under the Ministry's nose?" deadpanned Naminé.

Umbridge looked like she had eaten a lemon. As much as she hated to admit it, she had _zero_ control over the students. And her power was limited ONLY to the teachers. She had tried to get some measure of control over the little brats, but Cornelius had paled rather quickly and vetoed any rules that might allow her to issue detentions like a teacher could.

"Just wait, I'll be issuing new rules about student casual wear before the month is out," said Umbridge.

"I wouldn't count on it. Here's what you don't understand, _Madame_ Umbridge. Dumbledore might control the bulk of the faculty, but the _students_ are under MY control. Your only job is to insure that Dumbledore is not only kicked out, but _stays_ out once we've exposed him for the fake he really is," said Xion icily, in a tone that spoke volumes of how much time she spent with Narcissa Black.

Only Narcissa could train a girl raised by mundanes how to pull off the Queen Bitch routine in a way that wouldn't lose respect from her peers.

The toad left rather quickly once she realized that she had little to no power over Titania Potter-Black. And it scared her.

Tania glared at the door before shutting it firmly.

"Now, where were we?" she said cheerfully. She started playing and Luna continued where she had left off in the song. Naminé found that while she wasn't as proficient in the flute, she was tolerable at using the regular...thanks to a full summer of lessons and abuse of a borrowed time turner. It also didn't hurt that Demyx was very enthusiastic in helping the girl.

He knew _all_ about the pains that came with learning a stringed instrument like a guitar, and how much it hurt until your fingers developed the right callouses.

* * *

 _He_ was not in a very good mood. The Minister _DARED_ to send one of his lackeys into HIS school in an attempt to gain power over the brats inside.

Strangely the woman he sent, while repugnant, had no _real_ power over the students whatsoever. Instead she was inspecting the classes for the next year, and would give a detailed (and likely heavily biased) report which would be given to others like Madam Marchbanks, who ran the department that administered the OWLs and the NEWTs.

While that made it harder for the likes of Hagrid (who taught the COMC class) and Trelawny (who's ability to See the future was almost nonexistent) he had little doubt that they would weather this annoyance.

Now, if only he had some way of spying on that damn Potter brat and regaining control of the muggleborns...

* * *

"So... I heard from a reliable source that you've made a band," said Susan.

"Can anyone join?" asked Hannah eagerly.

"Can you play an instrument or sing without sounding like a broken record?" countered Tania.

Hannah pouted.

"It's not that we're being exclusive, it's just we want to sound good enough for people to actually _like_ us when we go on air later," said Luna.

"Oh. Well in that case who's your manager?" asked Susan.

"And spokesperson?" said Hannah.

"We don't have one. Luna came up with the idea after playing _Final Fantasy_ _X_ and _X-2_ since one of the main characters is a summoner," said Tania.

"I'm in charge of costumes," said Naminé cheerfully.

"I'm lead singer," said Luna.

"I thought Tania would take that role?"

"I can hold a note, but Luna came up with the idea."

Hannah and Susan grinned at each other.

"So what's your band name anyway?"

Tania looked at the others.

"We don't have one."

"You can't be a proper band without a name!"

"We're mostly doing this for fun," said Tania.

"The Snorkacks!" said Luna enthusiastically.

"What about The Nargles?" joked Naminé.

"What about Heart's Princesses?" said Tania.

"Oh, I like that one!" said Hannah.

"I do too!" said Luna happily.

"So we're agreed? We're the Heart's Princesses?" said Tania. The girls nodded. It was a fine name.


	44. Coat of DarknessRaiding Sirius' Room

Tania quickly realized that this might be her last year at Hogwarts the more she observed Dumbledore. It didn't help that she had already insured that Maleficent would no longer attempt to take the Castle That Never Was as a base of operations.

As a result, she had freed Phoenix and it had reverted to a magnificent bird that still called the Castle it's home. Zexion and Shadow now had a source of free Phoenix Down and the even rarer Phoenix tears.

It was still a massive bird, though the scars that had littered it's white body had disappeared in a burst of flame, as it went through a proper burning day in far too long.

Aside from the controlled panic of realizing that their OWL's were this year, nothing really seemed to change. At least, until Dumbledore started to try and convince Aqua and Axel into becoming members of his Order. Complete with oaths of loyalty to him and him alone.

Now that she had some solid proof he was recruiting, Tania set _her_ army of now former Death Eaters to dig up everything they could on Albus Dumbledore after his defeat of Grindlewald, which was the time she estimated that he had been 'killed' by the Darkness.

According to the official records, Grindlewald had been very interested in the Deathly Hallows. _Very_ interested.

Items that could bring back shades of the dead? Increase the power so that you never lost in a duel? A cloak that could protect you from being seen by Death?

Okay, that last one sounded like her coat when she hid in the Corridor of Darkness, but the rest sounded like the perfect way to trick people into falling into evil.

It didn't help that her cloak had disappeared shortly after she wore it while visiting the fairies, or that ever since she no longer needed to wear her coat when using the corridor. Her battle outfit seemed to integrate the special qualities, and she knew that the fairies didn't make those particular coats.

Come to think of it, where _did_ they get their coats?

That bugged her so much she went to find Axel.

* * *

"Where do our coats come from?" he repeated.

Axel scratched his cheek.

"You know, I have no idea where we get our coats. By the time we got to the castle, we already had rooms assigned and they were in the closet."

"Perhaps Shadow knows."

 _A few minutes later..._

" _Where do the coats come from? I have no idea, kupo. I got a trunk full of them when I agreed to act as the shop Moogle for the Castle,"_ said Shadow.

"Which really begs the question...where do the Coat of Darkness come from?" said Xion.

Now that the question was in their head, there was no way they'd be able to let it go. At least not immediately.

"Come on gang, looks like we'll be abusing Shadow's time turner to find out this mystery!" said Axel.

All five Nobodies (Xion had gone to ask Demyx, who followed her back) and one Moogle pumped their hands into the air in agreement. Besides, they were bored.

Zexion took one look at the scene, and said flatly "I am not getting roped into your insanity."

He had one of the books from the Black family library (he was using it to finish his magical thesis on illusions) in hand and borrowed a music player to drown them all out.

"Where do the coats of darkness come from? I have no idea. Diz just handed me a spare that happened to be in my size, and I have zero interest in finding him," said Riku. He still kept his coat, since it was easier than borrowing a ship. "How's Hermione, by the way?"

Xion grinned, pleased that her plan to set Riku up with her friend worked like a charm.

"She's doing fine and can't wait for summer. How did Sora react to the infamous Girl Talk?"

Riku's face split into an evil grin of his own. He loved teasing Sora.

"He's been avoiding Kairi for a full week once she initiates it with Naminé and Luna. It's the funniest thing I've seen in a long time," smirked Riku.

Xion cackled. Roxas face palmed.

"I'll go give him some advice on how to avoid it," he said, walking to where he assumed Sora would be. He found himself stuck by a terrifyingly cheerful Xion.

"Don't you dare. I let you off easy because you're my boyfriend, besides this way you can direct Hannah's perverted attention to Sora and watch the fireworks."

Roxas winced at the idea. Then he said a prayer in pity for what Sora was likely to go through next Hogsmeade weekend. Riku was openly amused.

"So we should try King Mickey?" suggested Axel.

"The Corridor won't go that far, trust me, I've tried. Try Radiant Garden and see if he's there. I heard he's been sending Goofy and Donald there to help with the reconstruction," said Riku.

"Thanks. I'll tell 'Mione you said hi," said Xion, opening a corridor.

"Let me know if you find out where the coats come from. I really don't want to have to go through the closets of the other Organization members just to find one in my size once I hit a growth spurt," said Riku. That and he secretly wanted to see what Sora would look like wearing one.

"You know you could come with us for a while. We're mostly investigating on our off time," said Axel.

"Should we bring Sora? Once he figures out I've left for a little while he's almost certain to try and follow us anyway."

"Why not kill three birds with one spell? I'll drop Kairi off in the Hufflepuff common room for a larger round of girl talk, and Sora can borrow one of Roxas' coats," said Xion.

Once they shifted a few people around (Hannah was delighted to have someone new to share her perverted mind with) and Sora was talked into wearing one of Roxas' spare coats (satisfying a curiosity Riku had on the subject) the group went to Radiant Garden to see if they could find someone who could help them contact King Mickey.

* * *

"You're trying to find out where the Coat of Darkness comes from? Why?" asked Leon.

"Boredom, mostly. That and we never did find out where Xemnas or Diz found the ones that are currently around. I mean there are a ton of the things lying around or hanging up in the closets of the Castle That Never Was, but we have no idea where they come from. And Riku made a point about growth spurts being an issue. I really don't want to see whether or not spells will make them bigger," said Xion.

"Why don't you ask the fairies?" suggested Yuffie.

"Have you visited your aunt?" asked Aerith.

"Good idea and we already stopped by. Do you think the twins would have stopped reminding me if we came here and didn't visit?" said Tania.

Roxas looked rather harried, but Sora looked amused. Seeing the twins only reminded him rather strongly of Riku and Kairi, a fact Riku was also quick to pick up on. Seeing a childish version of him was not what he had expected.

"Ryan was so cute!" said Sora, before he shot a glance to Riku and started snickering.

"Hey Sora, do you know what photoshop is?"

Seeing his look and Roxas' expression, he sensed blackmail in his future.

"No idea," he said cheerfully.

"Well in the case of Riku and some color changing charms, I'd say it's unlimited blackmail," said Tania.

Riku glared at his best friend.

"This is for all those years I teased you, isn't it?"

"That and all the running you made me do while you were pretending to be Ansem," said Sora grinning.

"Finally! Sora's gained a backbone!" said Xion.

"Xion! Where did you find _that_?"

"What? Sirius has been keeping a decent stash in his room, and it's not like the locking charm works at all against a keyblade...it's mostly porn, tissue boxes and booze in his though," said Xion.

"...You left Naminé's magazines in his room, didn't you?" said Axel.

"Yup."

"Excuse me while I go await Sirius' discovery that he's been raided by a midget," said Axel smirking.

"Don't forget the pictures!" shouted Xion. Axel gave her a mock salute before vanishing.

"What is that?" asked Riku.

"Firewhiskey. If Sirius can't learn to hide his liquor stash where I won't find it, then he deserves to be raided every once in a while."

"...What's the drinking age in the world you're in?" asked Riku.

Xion grinned.

"Thirteen. Though if you're really creative about sneaking to the tavern and using the right potions, then it's eleven. It's not like the teachers really care. What's the age limit on your world?" asked Xion.

"Eighteen," replied Riku.

"Which means none for Sora~!" said Xion.

"No what?" asked Sora.

"Oh we should totally drag him to Hogsmeade to see what he's like drunk," said Roxas grinning evilly.

"Not before we ask the fairies," said Xion. They were going to make a decent start, before they dragged Sora to Lost Avalon to have a bit of fun.

Unfortunately the three good fairies had no idea where the coats came from.

* * *

"CHUG, CHUG, CHUG!" the students cheered.

"What's going on here?" asked Professor Sprout.

"Drinking games since some of Tania's friends from outside are visiting Hogwarts for a day or two," said Susan.

"...Do their parents know they're here?" asked Sprout.

"We told them we were staying with a friend for a while. They said it was fine," said a silver haired boy with a mature look.

They were used to their children visiting their friends on other worlds. So long as they didn't get anyone pregnant, they could learn to live with it. At least for a few more years.

"So long as the headmaster doesn't come down on me for allowing this, I'll pretend they aren't here," said Sprout finally.

"Fair enough," said a drunken Tania.

"And I want some of that stash you have," said Sprout.

Tania grinned.

"I swiped it from Sirius. It's all yours," said Tania, handing over a very expensive looking bottle that had a rather strong proof.

"I knew there was a reason I liked you."

"It comes free with blackmail pictures of Black after he found out what I did with all those stupid magazines in his room," grinned Tania evilly.

"Gimme! Oh, what did you replace them with to get this reaction?"

"Naminé has a rather...active...imagination and she's not afraid to draw pairings that amuse her. In this case, it was a picture of Sirius and Snape in bed together, with Sirius as the sub and Snape as the dominate. Complete with dog ears and tail for Sirius."

Too bad for Sirius, his precious _magazines_ had an unfortunate...accident. One involving Homura and Hades' new Cerberus playing tug of war with fire-breath. The trashy pieces of paper didn't stand a chance.

Of course she didn't _just_ leave copies of Naminé's fan art. Oh no, she had to go one step further with help from Narcissa, Nymph and Andromeda's help.

She left a lot of specialty...toys...for him to stumble across. She also left "how-to" guides on how they were used, along with replacing all the pictures of the anatomically correct humanoids with Sirius and Snape.

" _AIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"_

Tania and everyone else blinked. That sounded far too much like Sirius for it to be a coincidence.

"Huh. I didn't know he could scream so loudly it would breach the barriers between worlds," said Tania as if commenting on the weather.

"I don't know what you put in his room, but it must have been particularly traumatizing for him to scream _that_ loudly," said Roxas.

"Ask Naminé. She was the one who told us what to get," said Tania flatly. Naminé cheerfully waved at the boys...but her eyes said it all.

"Oh dear magic... Hannah's corrupted _Naminé_ ," said Roxas in horror.

"Actually it was Hermione. She's a bit of a yaoi fan, and I can draw well enough that she can fantasize properly," admitted Naminé.

"What's..." started Riku.

"Don't! There are certain things that you must _never_ ask, and one of them for a guy it's learning what yaoi is!" said Roxas loudly. He knew what it was, sadly, and he also had an idea of what Xion and the other Blacks had left in Sirius' room.

And he really, really wished he didn't know about that stuff. At least, not this early.


	45. The slow crawl to battle

_**IT'S NOT DEAD! Just slowly crawling towards completion.**_

* * *

The first clue Tania had that perhaps the time to rise up against the adults was when she heard the Toad had become the "high inquisitor". Such a thing had never existed, and if she had her say, it never would again.

Above all, Umbridge hated anything new that wasn't made purely of magic by a pureblood family. In fact, she _barely_ tolerated Tania despite the fact the girl held the favor of the Minister.

If there was one thing Umbridge would happily do away with, it was the 'muggle' influence that she believed had infected the heirs of several prominent families in the Ministry.

Even if it was actually proving beneficial for them in the long run, as having 'movie nights' and being allowed to express themselves more freely compared to the positively Victorian attitude of the older generation had caused the house rivalry to drop to more acceptable levels, and bullying between houses had dropped like stones.

Though that had more to do with Tania cracking down on the heirs from darker families and asserting her authority on the worst offenders. Whether it was political, monetary or personal power as she delivered a beatdown on the idiots using her magic. Either way, the students were thriving more than they had in years.

And grade averages were showing it.

One of the first 'decrees' made by the Toad (as she was collectively called by the students) was the attempted confiscation of the 'muggle trash' as she had blatantly called it on repeated occasions within hearing.

Tania gathered the more clever students and hid the items the Toad was specifically looking for and anything that didn't look 'magical' enough to pass cursory inspection.

However, what she almost didn't count on was the fact that the Headmaster seized this as a chance to rid himself of the nuisance that was Tania's mundane influence on the students.

Any hit on the girl's influence would create a chink with which he could start his own attack.

* * *

 _October_

Tania fumed as all the outfits she had left in her personal wardrobe (which was right next to the bed, and allowed students to get their outfits ready without having to dig through the trunk) were confiscated by a sheepish House Elf staff, under orders from Umbridge. However, everyone knew the Headmaster was not only allowing this, but _encouraging_ it without actually doing so. He had made no bones of his dislike in the change in the student's personal clothes.

Fortunately, it was mostly the things she felt like wearing this week, rather than the majority of her "wizarding-approved" wear. Like her coats, which she _never_ left out in her rooms. Not after first year anyway.

Forewarned about the move, she had managed to hide _most_ of the 'offending' clothes in her castle before the seizure. Most of the other towers weren't so lucky, but the girls managed to keep their displeasure of the whole thing to a low simmer.

They kept their silence, but they would not forget this affront to their freedom, especially now that they had a good taste of it. Most of the pure blood girls would be lucky to get a job or career after Hogwarts.

Some were almost doomed to the life of a housewife or worse, a mistress to an older man who had paid their families for them. That was mostly for the minor families. The more influential heiresses could at least look forward to taking over for their fathers/mothers. Girls like Daphne Greengrass.

So they simmered, knowing after the mess Tania had with her modified cloaks that the clothes were likely destroyed. As it turned out, the seizure of the entertainment and clothes was the opening gambit of the older pure blood men to regain control via Umbridge of their females.

Apparently they were not happy with the fact that Tania was quietly revolutionizing their girls into moving away from the 'approved behavior'. Some were openly speaking of leaving England to seek better job prospects rather than quietly submitting to marriage after graduation.

They wanted them to forget about having an actual life.

* * *

 _November_

Tania's ire with the Wizangamot, and the majority of the idiots on it, had only gone up when she heard rumors via Narcissa of a marriage law to insure the "survival of the old lines".

Tania called it like she saw it. The old men were scrambling to control their children and force them into a marriage only one side would want. The fact she was considered the poster girl for the "empowered witch" meant that they were having an impossible time convincing their daughters to listen to them.

Tania was an influential young witch who had yet to graduate, and she had almost no male influence dictating what she did or who she could marry.

Everyone and their grandmother had already figured out she was planning to marry Roxas after graduation, but it was the principle of the thing. She had picked her own husband with no say from an older pure blood from her family. A husband who was most certainly not from Europe, let alone England. She challenged her elders in a way that insured she won the argument, and she had allies with all the factions despite her original image as the golden girl of the "light" and Dumbledore's protege.

She did what she wanted and made sure that the system worked for her.

And it gave the girls hope that they too could break free of the traditional role of a pure blood girl.

Because of the fact Tania wore the Black betrothal ring (Roxas had the other half), she would be safe from any marriage laws. Her friends, however, would be wide open to attack unless they were under similar agreements.

* * *

 _December_

It was now clear that this would be her final year in Hogwarts. Dumbledore looked entirely too smug when he indirectly removed another piece of her influence on the students from the castle.

He had lost most of his positions except his status as the Headmaster, and it was clear he was attempting to reassert his control.

Still it was Christmas. She could at least wait until next year before she rallied the students against him and that damn Toad.

Umbridge _barely_ avoided Azkaban when Tania found out about her blood quills and the fact she was stupid enough to inflict them on the first gen students.

It was the first Wizangamot meeting of the year. Everyone had agreed to table the law until after the holidays so they wouldn't have to deal with the fallout from their children directly.

Children who had become increasingly irate with their parents and were expressing that displeasure with wandless spells that sent their aging fathers scurrying behind anything that could block the incoming fireballs, ice shards and lightning bolts.

They might be set in the old ways, but even they weren't suicidal enough to push through a marriage law when they would have to come home to face their hormonal children who would be more than happy to share their anger on their unlucky parents! Especially the girls...most of them had become downright homicidal since they allowed Umbridge to pass the decrees limiting the muggle influence on the castle.

None of them had expected the girls to take offense to the fact that they were essentially restricting their free time and their personal wardrobe.

"Next on the agenda...the proposed marriage law."

"Do we really have to bring up this nonsense again?" asked Narcissa tiredly. She was acting as the 'voice' for the current head of the Black, since Sirius would only make things needlessly harder.

She knew full well Tania would never accept this law going through.

"We need to remind these brats who's in charge! Have you seen the...things...our children are wearing these days?!" demanded Otis Proudfoot, one of the oldest wizards in the room next to Dumbledore and a staunch supporter of the Dark families. He was of the opinion that girls should spend their days at home and serving their husbands, not working jobs or showing actual independence.

He barely tolerated the current changes in Hogwarts.

"They're still far more conservative compared to what the muggle girls are wearing these days, and never show off their bust or arse. Have you seen what some of the muggle boys are wearing? Some of their pants barely cover their undergarments!" said one witch, almost scandalized.

"Why were you looking at the muggle boys?" asked her neighbor next to her, amused.

"Enough. All in favor of passing the law?" asked Fudge in a bored tone.

Narcissa watched with disgust as the majority of the males and a good chunk of the older, more conservative females voted in favor. Apparently the old fogies of the Wizangamot (as Tania called them) were unsettled by the rise in independence from their children. They hoped marriage and children would settle them down, unaware that they were only setting themselves (and Dumbledore) up for a nasty surprise.

Draco had only confirmed a suspicion she had that Tania had been quietly recruiting the students since her first year to fight against Dumbledore and his hold on their society.

Fortunately she knew for a fact Tania would help her relocate to the Castle That Never Was along with most of her things. She already had a room, and Lucius agreed that it was better to be out of the line of fire.

Narcissa meet her husband's eyes. He was among those that voted against the new law.

Nothing good would come of this.

The marriage law passed, with a slim minority. Her next move was to warn Tania, so that she could mobilize her forces before Dumbledore did the same.

That's what two-way mirrors were for. Owls took too long.

* * *

 _In Hufflepuff Tower..._

"They _what_?!"

Everyone turned to the increasingly livid Tania Black.

Her face went from shock to pure fury as she listened to Narcissa explain what the new law would do in a few scant months.

All magicals sixteen and over would be required to find potential spouses, especially the pure bloods. Those in betrothal agreements would be required to marry after the school year ended, even if they hadn't graduated already. The only reason the fifth years and below were spared was because Narcissa had been able to get the old idiots to agree that they should focus on their studies before marriage. After all, it would look poorly on England if they forced girls to get pregnant without having at least proved competent enough with a wand to pass their Ordinary Wizarding Levels.

Narcissa had managed to get that agreed on by pointing out that if they couldn't at least pass their O.W.L.'s, then maybe they weren't smart enough to pass on some intelligence to their future children.

Most of the idiots who thought this law was a fine idea thought she meant the muggleborns and half-bloods who would be caught up in it.

Once finished, Tania almost closed her mirror with a harsh snap. The fact it was fragile glass and not spelled to handle damage stopped her.

She turned to her fellow students, fury in her eyes.

"It seems that the 'older' and 'wiser' idiots in the Ministry have decided to make up our futures for us. Everyone sixth year and above are going to be forced into marriage once the law becomes public, down to the last mundane-born and pure blood girl. If they manage to get away with this, who knows what other sorts of nonsense they'll attempt next?"

"WHAT?!" came the general outcry of the students, particularly the girls.

This was the final straw. No way in _hell_ were they going to let the idiots in the Ministry dictate when they were going to marry, much less whom.

"Spread the word. No girl is going to be caught off guard by this nonsense and I want it know that we are organizing a strike on all classes. When the teachers decide to make their move, we make ours!" said Tania with fire in her eyes.

There was a cheer of agreement from the other Hufflepuffs. By dawn, every student knew of the law and the fact that if they didn't do something now, they would have to live with it for years. Possibly _decades_.

* * *

Dumbledore thought he had made the perfect opening gambit against the brat who had ruined everything.

Voldemort still hadn't made an appearance, the girl had discreetly stripped away his power, and most of the three factions were firmly on _her_ side and not his.

Worst of all, she had gathered more than enough Keyblade wielders to pose a genuine threat in addition to teaching the old spells to the mages.

He sighed. Why was it so hard to control these blasted children? Couldn't they see his plans were for the best?

As if summoned by his annoyance, Minerva practically burst through the door, irate.

"Yes Minerva?"

"Every single class is empty."

"Excuse me?"

"Without fail, every classroom was empty save for the teacher, even Potions. When we went looking we found the entire student body scattered around the castle and by the time we rounded up our groups the class had long since ended. And they informed me that they had no interest in learning from tyrants and oppressors who believed they had any say in how they lived their lives," she informed him tightly, her fury palpable in the air.

"What?"

McGonagall handed him a long parchment which upon closer inspection revealed the signatures of practically EVERY student in the castle.

"Did they explain what brought this on?"

"Ms. Black curtly informed me that the students have no desire to let the 'adults ruin everything twice'," she said sourly.

"Perhaps we should have Professor Wayfinder find out what's going on," he suggested. Odds were she was in on it.

It was only after she left that he started to wonder...did the students know about the marriage law about to take place?


	46. The final Battle with Dumbledore's Shade

As the days crawled to the moment when the law would pass and become official enough that they would have to act, Tania was 'discreetly' spreading the word via the radios and through the grapevine of the graduates from the last decade about the revolution. She even had a theme song, though she wouldn't claim credit for the lyrics.

It was the opening song for an anime called " _Attack on Titan"_.

"Ready?"

Tania nodded and the light signaling they were on live came on.

" _Sind Sie das Essen? Nein, wir sind der Jagër_

 _Unknown are the names of the flowers that had been trampled_

 _Birds have fallen to the earth and long for wind_

 _Prayers won't solve anything_

 _Only the will to fight can change the here and now!_

 _O pigs who laugh at the resolve to walk over corpses to move forward_

 _Livestock complacency? False prosperity?_

 _Give us the freedom of dying, starving wolves!_

 _The humility of being caged is what triggers us to fight back_

 _We hunters slaughter prey beyond the castle walls,_

 _consumed with raging bloodlust,_

 _as our crimson bows and arrows pierce scarlet holes into the twilight!"_

The light went out, but the subtle message had gone through once more.

It was a call to arms by those who had been oppressed and forced to follow the rules of the old families who refused to try anything new.

Those who had lived through the last war with Voldemort had learned their lesson. After they were abandoned by the society they had trusted, most had moved and left the country the second it looked like he was coming back.

They weren't going to trust Dumbledore a second time to solve things. Those that had been born in the aftermath, well, they were still learning that lesson. But most had become chaffed and tired of the old blood telling them what to do and refusing to allow innovation into their society.

So the discreet call to arms was perfect, and once Tania or her friends gave the signal, a new civil war would start.

This time they planned to overthrow the Ministry and set something new in it's place. Someplace where the opportunity to advance or get things done didn't rely on how 'pure' your blood was or what connections you had. A place where your standing was based on skill and deeds instead of connections to the people with the money and power.

The first gens and those who knew of the advancements in technology wanted to change. If they didn't, then when magic became a known factor again, things could turn out very, very badly.

* * *

In a show of the universe's sense of irony, the marriage law became legal on the day the god Eros, aka Cupid, was celebrated.

Otherwise known as Valentine's day.

Most of the members of the Wizangamot...save for the smarter ones, who either saw the signs of the coming rebellion or had been informed directly (namely Neville's grandmother and those who sided with Tania)...were in Hogwarts pretending like they weren't trying to ruin the lives of their children by forcing them to become parents far too early.

If they were bothered by the chilly reception and refusal to acknowledge their existence by their heirs, they weathered it thinking that their sons and daughters would come around sooner or later when they got this bit of rebellion out of their system.

The few teachers in on the plan had generously "offered" to let the older wizards to have their chairs so they could "enjoy a traditional Hogwarts feast" again while they sat with their students.

To the last man, each of them had taken them up on the offer without a second thought.

Every student had gone to the feast with their wand and other items discreetly bought from Shadow and some of his younger, less experienced cousins who had been brewing for weeks until now.

He had agreed to take on a few apprentices so they could get some real-life experience as Apothecary Moogles or Potionmaking Moogles.

Snape had been thrilled teaching _competent_ potion masters that really hated wasting even the lesser ingredients. With their help, some of the harder potions he had always wanted to make had become in reach.

He had firmly opted to sit with his Slytherins. Sprout was with the Hufflepuffs, Aqua and Flitwick sat with the Ravenclaws, and Axel sat with the Gryffindors next to Roxas.

Madam Pince could care less about the rebellion as long as her precious books were safe. She was holding up fort in the library to keep _both_ sides out and the books safe.

After dinner, Dumbledore stood up. As one, every student and their co-conspirators in the teachers tensed.

"As many of you are likely aware, shortly after Christmas the Wizangamot came into agreement and passed a law allowing sixth years and above to marry their betrothed early. This is to bring the population up after the last war. As such I've agreed to open up the private rooms for all betrothed couples so that they may enjoy some privacy while with their new husband or wife. This law is mandatory. Those of you in marriage contracts will be married once the year is out, and those without will be fined a hundred galleons for every year you have not found a suitable partner. As incentive, for each witch expecting a new child they will receive five hundred galleons per child."

Tania eyes blazed with fury.

"Really? You think five hundred galleons and permission to use private rooms rather than broom closets is going to make up for the fact you're trying to ruin our lives?" she practically snarled.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled.

"This is for your own good."

Tania raised her keyblade high and spoke the agreed on phrase to start the rebellion.

"Sind Sie das Essen? Nein, wir sind der Jagër!"

Sure it was in German, but that just meant it wouldn't be used in everyday conversations.

To the last student, they rose from their seats and pointed their wands at the head table.

The rough translation of the battlecry was "You are the Prey? No, we are the Hunters!"

" _TOAD!"_

Caught off guard by the sudden attack, most of the older members were unable to block the spell. There were a lot of shocked toads near the head table. One of which was McGonagall.

In the few seconds it took to register that the children weren't going to take this new law lying down or displaying the peaceful means of rebellion, over half the Wizangamot and most of the teachers had been turned into toads or put under a full body bind. Aqua had been teaching them quick casting, and working on their aim when it came to an unexpected attack.

Once the older wizards and the lone witch got their wits about them, they began casting right back. Except their aim and spell choice was off.

The kids were aiming to incapacitate, but once they started firing lethal spells all bets were off.

Besides, the lower tier elemental spells were cheap and easy to cast, even for first years.

It surprised no one when Dumbledore finally got fed up with the spell fire and started casting the nasty spells meant to cause damage.

Without hesitation, they switched from non-lethal spells to the ones that cost more, but would do some serious damage.

Snape in particular took a lot of glee in casting his darker curses at Dumbledore, knowing full well the old man wasn't even a person anymore but a shade that took his place.

Dumbledore managed to hold on, but under the pressure of so much damage from mere children and teenagers, his form started to break apart.

The air in the Great Hall grew darker, as the shadows began to gather around the 'headmaster'. The torches on the wall and the candles floating in the air were abruptly snuffed out.

Witchlights quickly replaced them, courtesy of the Moogles who had abstained from the fighting save to duck under the legs of the children to 'sell' potions so that they could keep up the fight.

What stood in the old man's place definitely wasn't human. In fact it was heavily reminiscent to the shadow that overtook Destiny Islands when Sora's adventure first began. Some of the features were different, like the eyes and the 'beard', but the form was more or less the same.

That was the queue for Tania and the other keyblade wielders to charge in.

She went in with Roxas, their keyblades and synchronicity falling together seamlessly.

The keyblades reacted to their hearts and combined into one blade, with each holding half.

The monster roared in pain, as the duo backed off and let Naminé charge in. Her white keyblade shone from the witchlights, and seemed to draw in the light.

As she backed off to let her special attack recharge, the two 'adults' ran in. Fire and Water collided in a perfect attack, making the shadow's life force drop a bit more than the combo attack of Xion and Roxas.

But the shadow that had posed as Dumbledore wasn't going to let their defiance go lying down. Far from it.

It was almost anti climatic, the ending of an era.

With only a single misstep from Xion, the shade pulled off a nasty trick on the fighters.

A pool of darkness, unlike the corridor they abused regularly, collected under Xion. She tried to avoid it, but the shadow slammed into her, forcing her to fall into the area. It was almost like quicksand, except it was so much more sinister.

"Xion!" cried Roxas.

"Roxas!" she cried back, reaching her free left hand to him. He just missed her as she was sucked into the darkness and sent away.

In response to the loss of their leader, the fighters came together and started hitting the shadow with even more fervor.

Unlike the last war, when the leader was lost, the fighters didn't become demoralized.

Instead they got pissed and they were more than happy to take it out on the true enemy. Aqua had done wonders to get rid of the defeatist attitude Dumbledore had blatantly encouraged with his crappy teacher selection.

The shadow finally retreated, wounded, but the damage was done. Tania was missing, possibly dead. The school had lost most of it's teachers and now they would have to carry on the revolution without the one who started it.

The only thing they had to hold on to hope was the fact that the ring Roxas had was still silvery and his own connection to Xion telling him that she was still very much alive.

Since he was the closest to her, he was the one to relay the announcement to their supporters outside the castle.

"Hogwarts has been seized by the students. The teachers and Wizangamot members who allowed this mockery of a law to be passed have been captured and will be held in a secure location. Tania Black has been...misplaced...by a cruel last attempt by the false king Dumbledore. Down with the fake Monarchy of Albus Dumbledore! Raise up the flags of Revolution!"

Roxas was sitting with Luna, who was the only active Seer they had access to. Her powers were small, but she was accurate.

"Any luck?"

Luna's eyes were more glazed than normal, and her voice went beyond just stoned.

" _The Lost Princess of the Nobody can only be found in the Castle of the Light."_

"Castle of the Light?" repeated Axel.

"Where is this castle?" asked Roxas.

" _That which rejects and repels the darkness, guarded by a Master."_

Roxas frowned. It almost sounded familiar, but he couldn't figure out why. Luna blinked as she came out of her trance.

Homura whined on her lap, as he missed his master. He had avoided being dragged into the dark realm that Tania had been thrown into.

"There's nothing we can do without more information. So let's focus on reclaiming this world before we go looking. Otherwise she'll never let us hear the end of it," said Axel reluctantly.

Tania would be pissed if they left things half done simple because she was lost.

"So how goes our hostile takeover?" asked Aqua.

"Since most of the magical enclaves are inhabited by what Tania would call 'sheeple', most generally surrendered once we made it clear that we were going to cause trouble. The few Aurors we've run into that tried to stop us were all captured and turned to toads."

"I can't believe something most consider a prank spell is helping us win a minor war," said Zexion in disbelief.

"What about the rest of Europe?"

"Most are in agreement with us, and those that aren't side with Tania anyway because she dealt with Riddle so easily that he never stood a chance. Lucius has been very helpful keeping them from stirring up trouble. Because we're doing this to encourage new things and not the same nonsense Dumbledore spouted, disagreements are rare," reported Axel.

Dumbledore claimed he wanted equality among the pure bloods and the muggleborns, but his actions said otherwise. The fact he often threw his own people 'under the bus' in an effort to reform those that didn't mean it meant the 'dark' families refused to take him seriously.

Tania however was openly promoting a new Ministry that didn't automatically label rituals and old magicks like blood magic as 'dark' and thus to be outlawed. She didn't really care about the 'blood purity' issue so long as everyone was treated the same. Sure, it meant some of the laws that made the lives of pure bloods easier would be done away with, but her demands were much more reasonable and she openly trained her people to be better fighters.

The fact she followed the old ways was just a bonus.

"One of the hardest areas to secure was the Burrow. Molly Weasley was _not_ happy with us."

Thank magic that the Silence spell was so much more effective than the silencing spell normally taught. Molly Weasley's voice was infamous for all the worst reasons.


	47. Finding Xion

**Poll up for sequel. Currently getting ass kicked by cold.**

* * *

It was dark and oppressive. Then a familiar light shone down on her form and collected around her, shielding her from the darkness.

Xion/Tania was not afraid of the dark. Far from it, she felt at home in the dark.

But this darkness was neither comforting or pleasant. It was evil.

The light turned into a cocoon, and she could feel herself drifting to a new place. A place familiar and filled with warmth, love and life.

She wouldn't find out until later, when they found her and woke her up, but the light had a sense of humor. Her clothes went from the usual casual wear she wore around the school (minus her coat) to something that a "Disney" princess would wear. It looked more girly than her Yule ball dress.

* * *

It would take almost two years, but the Revolution managed to calm down long enough for Roxas to start planning a serious search for Xion.

They had more or less forced the fact that Dumbledore was behind the Heartless infestation down the throats of his most ardent supporters. Some, like Molly Weasley, still thought they were lying, but others like McGonagall (who despite being a toad at the time had seen the headmaster turn into a shadow-monster) had reluctantly come around.

It had taken far longer for them to revamp the school to the point where it could open again. Merlin, to the shock of the pure bloods (not those who knew he was very much alive and currently bored) had come to Lost Avalon with Archimedes to act as 'headmaster' until a better candidate came out of the new crop of students.

He also brought some friends with him to teach the 'old magicks' to the mages of Lost Avalon.

It was clear a war was coming, and they would need all the help they could get to fight back against the Darkness.

Even a minor mage would be a huge help in protecting the civilians who couldn't use magic. Young moogles took advantage of a world where rare magical ingredients were plentiful to learn how to create ethers, elixirs and phoenix downs without having to hunt for the ingredients.

Snape's foul mood around children was curbed by the presence of the moogles.

Hogwarts was slowly but surely climbing out the mire it had fallen into while under Dumbledore's command.

Roxas looked back on Lost Avalon. The majority of the English magicals had come to accept the reform easily enough, with a few exceptions. He felt reasonably assured they could leave the place and not have everything collapse around them while they looked for Xion. Their first stop was to the Destiny Islands, where Sora, Riku and Kairi were waiting.

Hermione greeted her boyfriend Riku with a kiss on the cheek, causing him to blush. Sora snickered, but otherwise didn't comment.

He was enjoying the fact that his stoic friend was getting used to having a steady girlfriend.

"So it's finally time to look for Xion?" asked Sora.

"Yeah. Things calmed down at last."

"What was the clue again?"

"The lost princess of the Nobodies would be found in the Castle of the Light. The castle repels and rejects the darkness, guarded by a Master," repeated Naminé.

"Rejects and repels Darkness..." said Riku, thinking about it. It sounded familiar.

"What sort of Master?" asked Sora.

"Luna didn't specify," said Roxas.

"Well Shadow is going to loan us his Gummi Ship, since he's really close to Xion. Where should we try first?"

"We asked Leon's group in Radiant Garden if they knew about a castle of the light, but they had no idea," offered Sora.

"How about the other Princesses? I mean it sounds really familiar, but they might have a better idea since we're connected to Kingdom Hearts," suggested Kairi.

"What about Ansem? The real one, not the fake," said Sora. He was an ass, but he had done a lot of research.

"Ugh, no way. If you do, then keep us out of it," said Roxas making a face. Naminé nodded heartedly.

"Maybe we can ask Beast. He seems to be able to travel without a ship or coat," suggested Aqua.

"I'll go ask Master Yen Sid," said Axel.

They split into four separate groups.

Naminé and Roxas went to visit Beast in his castle. Aqua and Zexion went to visit Ansem. Axel, Demyx and Sora went to visit Master Yen Sid. Riku and Hermione opted to visit King Mickey, to see if he had any clues as to the 'Castle of the Light'.

They all agreed to convene in Radiant Garden, as none of them were particularly eager to return to Lost Avalon just yet.

* * *

 _In Beast's Castle..._

Beast wasn't particularly pleased to see the two former Nobodies, but Belle was polite enough. With his massive library it was possible that they might be able to find the Castle Luna spoke of. Besides, Belle was always up for research.

"We are never leaving Hermione here."

"Agreed. Riku would never get her out of the library, and she would practically adopt Belle as a sister," said Naminé grinning.

They looked for nearly a week, but even with the impressive library Beast had, there were only a few vague references to a "castle" that repelled and rejected darkness.

* * *

 _With Ansem..._

Aqua's eyebrow twitched. The man was a jerk, and he was of absolutely no help. She was glad to leave his mansion, as he didn't really have any references to what they were looking for and he was less than helpful when he learned why she needed to find it. His opinion of Nobodies had never really improved.

* * *

 _In Master Yen Sid's Tower..._

Zexion found Master Yen Sid a treasure trove of information. In fact it was Master Yen Sid that provided the first real clue as to one of the cryptic words of the little Seer.

"So there is a strong possibility that the 'Master' she spoke of is a Keyblade Master. It would make sense...Xion might be drawn to another keyblade wielder if she felt she was in danger," said Axel.

"Who are the current Keyblade Masters?" asked Sora.

"There are only four Keyblade Masters alive. Master Aqua, Master Mickey, Master Xehanort and myself," said Yen Sid.

"Xehanort?" said Sora upset.

"A keyblade Master does not necessarily have to be of the Light to be called a Master," said Yen Sid.

"Wait... you said Master Mickey, as in _King_ Mickey, right?" said Axel.

"Correct."

"And Disney Castle has never had to deal with any heartless infestations due to the wards around the place."

"The Castle Heart rejects their presence, thus keeping it safe from contamination from the darkness."

"'A Castle of the Light that repels and rejects the Darkness, guarded by a Master...'" repeated Zexion.

"You don't think..." said Axel.

"It makes sense wouldn't it? The best place Xion would know and feel safe in if she were in the Darkness. And it has the added benefit of having a natural shield against heartless," said Zexion.

"What?"

"Disney Castle. Think about it, it's protected against the Heartless and it has King Mickey, who's a Keyblade 'Master'. A castle of the Light that is guarded by a Master. It fits doesn't it?" reasoned Axel.

Sora's face light up with hope. This was a solid lead to finding Xion.

* * *

 _In Disney Castle..._

Hermione and Riku were pouring through the books. King Mickey thought it was alright, since they were just looking for Xion.

So naturally they were surprised when they were joined by the other groups.

"I thought we agreed to meet in Radiant Garden?" asked Hermione.

"Axel and Zexion may have found a clue to where Xion is," said Roxas.

"What kind of clue?" asked Riku.

"We think Xion went to the first Keyblade Master she could think of when she got sucked in. Disney Castle has never had a heartless infestation like the other worlds," said Axel.

"A Castle that rejects and repels the darkness," Hermione repeated to herself.

"That's why it sounded so familiar to us. Disney Castle never had to deal with the heartless, and the only time they had a problem was when Maleficent tried to mess with the heart of the castle," said Sora.

"Of course. The Castle of the Light, as in one of the Light's strongholds, guarded by a Keyblade Master. It certainly fits the description, even if vaguely," said Riku. And it did make a lot of sense when you looked at it from Luna's perspective.

"But where in the Castle?" said Roxas.

"Where is the protection from heartless the strongest?" Sora asked King Mickey.

"That would be the room where the castle heart is."

"You really think Xion is there?" asked Donald.

"It's worth a shot," said Sora.

"Aw-huck. What are we waiting for then?" said Goofy.

Needless to say Donald, Goofy, Mickey, Minnie and Daisy were all quite surprised to find an odd bubble above the castle heart that had a distinctly human shape inside.

"Xion..." whispered Roxas.

"What do you think?" asked Aqua to Mickey.

"Perhaps we can break it with the keyblades."

"You mean unseal it like one would a keyhole?" asked Roxas.

Mickey nodded.

Each keyblade wielder from Naminé to King Mickey himself aimed their blade at the bubble. Light sprang forth from the tip of the keyblade, and hit it directly. Like unlocking a door, they turned their blades in the same direction simultaneously. It was like a spider's cocoon unraveling as strands of light flowed away from the body inside.

Roxas, unsurprisingly, was the first to get under Xion to catch her as she floated down.

She was out cold, and much to the amusement of the girls, dressed _exactly_ like a Disney Princess.

* * *

In short order Xion was moved from the chamber into a proper bed. Hermione and Naminé were quick to take multiple pictures...for blackmail material of course.

For the next month they tried to figure out how to wake Xion up. She was much like Kairi had been when the Darkness took the Destiny Islands. Alive, but not responsive. She looked like she was merely sleeping.

Finally, in a fit of annoyance Hermione suggested something that made Roxas blush a bright red...much to the amusement of Sora who quickly took pictures.

"For the love of magic, just kiss her on the lips!" said Hermione exasperated.

"Why?" asked Axel, far too amused at Roxas' face.

"Why not?" said Naminé, very amused herself.

"Would that really work?" said Riku.

"It's Disney," deadpanned Hermione.

"What's that got to do with anything?" asked Zexion.

"Disney personifies the whole 'damsel in distress' 'prince wakes up sleeping princess with true loves kiss' archetype. Do I really need to give examples?" said Hermione.

"Yes!" said Roxas.

"Sleeping Beauty and Snow White," said Hermione without hesitation. Roxas winced.

"Do I really have to?"

"Yup," said Naminé gleefully. She was so going to record this.

Roxas seemed to have a permanent blush on his face as he went into the room where Xion was sleeping.

His lips firmly touched hers, and he felt something surge from his heart into her body.

They were never going to let him live _this_ down, he just knew it.

"Roxas?"

"Told you it would work," said Hermione smugly.

"Ugh...what am I wearing?"

"You, Xion, look like a mixture of Belle and Cinderella, just in your colors," said Naminé snickering. Xion's annoyed expression made her day.

"...Exactly how long was I gone?"

"Almost two and a half years," said Axel without hesitation.

"We would have brought Homura, but we weren't sure he would be able to get past the castle's wards. It took us a month to figure out how to wake you up," said Hermione.

"And the Revolution?"

"It's more or less stable now, though we had to leave some people as toads to avoid the Light sided idiots from getting on our case," said Roxas.

They hadn't killed the ones who didn't believe or agree with them. And since the cure was relatively cheap it was a simple way to get rid of the problem magicals without actually _killing_ them. Even the Light magicals could agree that leaving Molly Weasley as a toad in a nice pond was acceptable.

"And Dumbledore?"

"Hasn't been seen since he fled the castle, along with Ron Weasley. Last we heard he might have gone to see Maleficent," said Roxas.

Xion looked at her outfit, then at her friends. It seemed they had everything in order in her absence.

"Right. First order of business is a change of clothes followed by a spar with Master Aqua to see if my skills have atrophied. Then we'll go from there."

Xion was never one to stay down for long.

And after a few tearful reunions with her family and familiar (Homura was practically glued to her side the moment they were reunited), Xion got prepared for some serious training as Aqua's apprentice. If she wanted to become a keyblade Master, she would have to work for it. Roxas would apprentice under Mickey for the time being.

 _ **Finis...for now.**_

 **A/N: And that's the end of Memories of Nobody. It's been a fun ride, and I do plan for a sequel. However I am having a major writer's block on WHAT to do with the sequel which will be titled _Dreams of a Nobody_.**

 **It will be like the 3DS Kingdom Hearts, but in different worlds. At least, once I figure out WHICH worlds to send Xion and Roxas into for their Mastery exam. The only one I have firmly set on is Fate/Stay Night, or possibly Fate/Zero.**

 **I am open to any suggestions on where to send them!**

 **Peace out! XD**


End file.
